


A Dove's Ripped Wings | A Haikyuu fanfic

by Btsinned



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Adut life, Aobajousai, Aobajousai Volleyball Club - Freeform, Canon, College, F/M, Fluff, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, High School, Inarizaki, Karasuno, Karasuno Family, Karasuno volleyball ball club, MSBY Black Jackal, Manga, Medic - Freeform, Multi, Nekoma, OC, Olympics, Original Character(s), Original Female Character - Freeform, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Male Character - Freeform, Own Character, Protective Karasuno Volleyball Club, Protective Older Brothers, Relations, Romance, Schweiden Adlers - Freeform, Shiratorizawa, Shiratorizawa Academy Volleyball Club - Freeform, Siblings, Sister Complex, Slice of Life, Slow Romance, Spoilers, Sports, Sports Medicine, Sports Therapy, Strong Female Characters, Tumblr, University, VBC, VOLLEYBALL NERDS, Volleyball, Volleyball Dorks in Love, Wholesome, crossposted, haikyuu anime, haikyuu manga, haikyuu! - Freeform, haikyuu!! - Freeform, in college, injuries, non Canon, wattpad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-12-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:54:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 65,730
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25175725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Btsinned/pseuds/Btsinned
Summary: Ibato Chiaki never thought she'll end up hating volleyball.But she had.Not by choice. But whenever she thought about the sport, her heart felt like it was getting ripped to pieces. And she knew the bitterness inside of her was growing even darker as the realization of her never every being able to play the sport again sunk in.It hurt. It hurt so bad.So she was going to block it out of her life although she knew how impossible it was when her whole family had an occupation relating to the sport. But hell, she'll try. At least when she's at school.Or that was what she thought.She tries to turn away, but her friends fight to teach her that it may hurt more staying away from the sport she used to love so much. When she finally takes the hand outstretched to her, she will once again become the white dove. However, this time, she flies among the crows with obsidian wings and soars high into the sky.***"Senpai, you may not be able to stand on the court as a player anymore. But you'll always be part of our team. We'll take you to the nationals, just as you dreamed. So please stay with us!"
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou/Yachi Hitoka, Ibato Chiaki x ???, oc x Haikyuu character
Comments: 15
Kudos: 72





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A/N
> 
> Hey Hey Hey! Welcome to the prologue of A Dove's Ripped Wings!
> 
> Being very honest, I know this is a bad idea starting a new fiction for a whole new different anime seeing as I never finish writing for them.... but I lost to the temptation as I finally began watching and reading Haikyuu during this quarantine and summer.
> 
> I just fell in love with all these characters, and what can I say, I'm a sucker for sports anime. A real sucker. Anyhow, the disclaimer is Haikyuu does not belong to me, only the OC do along with their character plot. Another disclaimer would be that I have absolutely no experience in volleyball, only playing a little bit when I was like 10 with friends, so as I read the manga and do research, I am learning. So if you find anything wrong in the storyline regarding the sport/game, please forgive me and gently point it out so I can hopefully correct it.
> 
> Also, some people may have already noticed but this is two years before the manga/anime plotline, which means all the first years such as Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima, are still only in their second year of middle school. And our main protagonist is a third-year middle school student. I will definitely post the picture of character stats, but I can't do that right now without revealing the plot. So we'll probably have to go around ten to fifteen chapters in before that happens.
> 
> Another note is, this story is probably going to be similar to a lot of stories you may have read. Like, I'm sure you've all read fanfics of the oc becoming the manager because it's the most convenient way to place a female in a male's team. Honestly, it's nearly impossible to write an extremely original plot in an established story when so many fanfic writers exist. I promise you, I'm not plagiarizing, it's just there are only a few things I can do if I'm following the plot of the anime/manga.
> 
> If Haikyuu was a story part of the magic and mythical fantasy world, I'm sure there'll be more original creative things I can add, but sadly it's not like that and to continue to be realistic in their word, what I can write about gets limited. While this story will most likely be canon, I may add more scenes just to help the characters build and create relations, so warning. I'll try my best to make it entertaining!
> 
> Also, as of right now, I don't have any shipping in mind, so as the story goes on, I'm gonna have to decide if romance is going to be necessary or not. Tbh, I can't really think about a character to fit our lovely OC Ibato Chiaki as of right now. Maybe we'll figure something out, or there will be a crowd favorite. Okay, I'm lying. There is a character I'm thinking of but honestly, idk if I'll go with it. Gotta see all of you're reactions.
> 
> For this specific book, I'm going to aim for around 5.0 k to 6.0 k word count for each chapter so updates may be a bit slow. As of right now, if I'm posting this, it means I probably have a steady amount of chapters already written.
> 
> Once again, thank you for taking the time and picking up this book. And I hope you enjoy this ride!
> 
> Next update, Chapter 1 | Ripped Wings will be on 2020. 7. 24
> 
> -Ember 2020. 7. 10

**Prologue:**

**Word count** : 3.0 k

**THIRD PERSON P.O.V.**

Volleyball was part of Ibato Chiaki's life before she could even walk. Instead of a teddy bear, she slept with a round, fluffy, cotton stuffed ball that was colored blue and yellow. Her pajamas consisted of old, no longer used uniforms from all three of her older brothers plus her own father. Her present for her very first birthday was a specially ordered volleyball jersey with Ibato #4 written on the back, something each of her brothers also had with their own numbers. Her parents even had it, only theirs' were labeled Mom and Dad on it. If someone asked who her favorite cartoon character was, she would instantly respond with Vabo-chan, a volleyball mascot which wasn't even considered a cartoon character.

It was inevitable, seeing as every single person in her family had something to do with the sport. Her own father, Ibato Hiroto, was a former representative athlete for Japan who played in the Olympics, now a coach at a male Division 1 team. Her mother, Ibato Minako, was a physical therapist who worked closely with athletes that represented Japan. Her older brothers, the eldest Ibato Minato, had played the sport throughout his life. And the same for the twins, Ibato Taiga and Ibato Kouga.

When Chiaki was born, her mother was delighted, relieved that she had finally gotten a female in the family. She had expected frills, dress up, and gossips, something she craved from her only daughter.

Chiaki's presence was surprising and unexpected, it had already been four years since she had given birth to the twins. Minako had thought she was done, however, while not planned, Chiaki was nonetheless a blessing that the mother of three boys had desperately wanted. But before she could initiate all the daughter and mother bonding she had planned, from right underneath her nose, her husband and sons had dragged little Chiaki into the courts.

And before Minako could do anything, Chiaki was in love with the sport. The little brunette with droopy grey eyes followed after her brothers, constantly watching them play and joining whenever she was allowed.

While Minako was slightly bitter about it, Hiroto laughed and cheered in glee. Of course, his little princess was going to play volleyball. And he was sure she was going to be good at it having three older brothers and him teaching her personally.

And hell, did she become good at it.

"Aki-senpai! It's all thanks to you we won nationals again this year! Like did you see the last spike? It went like ' _whoosh!_ ' And then ' _Kaboom!'_ The opponent team didn't even know what hit them! Of course, it's expected from our ace and captain, but it was so awesome!" One of Chiaki's underclassmen gleefully cheered. Others chimed in agreement, happy smiles painted on their faces as they walked in a group.

Chiaki only smiled in response, her droopy eyes watching her teammates fondly as they spoke, all of them in a good mood with the victory of today's game.

"The boys gotta step up their games, maybe we girls should teach you some tricks. Kanoka-senpai, don't you agree?" In a teasing tone, the libero of the team Komezawa Maiko, a second-year girl, questioned as she playfully nudged the boy who walked beside her.

In response, the spiky raven-haired second year, Kindaichi Yūtarō scowled, shoving her back playfully, "no way. I won't learn crap from a shorty like you! Don't you think we're doing just fine, Kanoka-senpai?"

The short-haired female who walked beside Chiaki was slightly taken aback that she was suddenly dragged into the conversation. She swiftly turned around with her round eyes widened. She looked between her libero and the boy who spoke to her. Chiaki watched with amusement as her vice-captain stuttered, struggling to find the right words.

"U-Um, I think you're doing very well, K-Kindaichi-kun... B-But improvement is always something we should strive for...." Amanai Kanoka muttered, her cheeks tinting a slight pink, embarrassed with all the eyes on her.

Seeing this, the boy with his hair parted in the middle hit Kindaichi, a small frown on his face. "Stop causing trouble to Kanoka-senpai. And don't be too loud, remember you're not the main today. We're here to celebrate the girls' team's victory and officially send off the third years that are graduating soon." While having an indifferent expression, Kunimi Akira had a brief look of sadness in his eyes as he looked at all of the third years that walked with them.

In response, Kindaichi whined, "I know, Kunimi! But man, the last game was so quick! I'm glad the girls were able to win against their opponent without any issues. Especially because of who they were. Shukho Middle School, right?"

At his words, everyone became quiet, a worried look appearing on all of their faces. Chiaki is quick to notice, her eyebrows furrowing for a split second as she looked at her friends in question. None of them see her gaze and silent confusion, all of them seem to be thinking about the same things. Chiaki, on the other hand, is as clueless as she was a minute ago and finally looks at the boy who was silently walking beside her.

"Tobi-kun, what is everyone talking about?" Chiaki softly questions, speaking up for the first time. This immediately catches everyone's attention, including Kageyama Tobio, a second-year who walked beside her.

"I don't know, Aki-senpai. I'm just hungry," the dark-haired boy comments, seeming to be eager to hurry to the Okonomiyaki place they have a reservation at.

Kindaichi gasps, his eyes wide, "of course, it's expected that Kageyama wouldn't know, but you too, Aki-senpai? There's been a bad rumor going around that Shukho's team is associated with bad people and have caused issues with their past opponents."

Kanoka nods in agreement as Chiaki shifts her gray gaze to her fellow Wing Spiker, the short-haired girl adding on. "Y-Yeah... While it's only a floating rumor, I've heard many people talking about it at the tournament. Some of them were saying that Shukho's captain's boyfriend is a high school student that is part of a local yakuza group. And words say, he has threatened the opponent teams, and that's why they were able to become the finalist with us..." Kanoka's eyes widened in fear as she wrapped her arms around her body, hugging herself for comfort.

Kageyama, who was listening, snorted as he rolled his eyes nonchalantly, "that explains why they were so weak... They're just cowards," the boy grumbled, making a face of distaste.

This makes Kindaichi glare at his teammate, sending him a stink eye. "Well, yeah. But if the rumors are true, isn't it scary?! Like I wouldn't want anything to do with any yakuza. When we were watching on the stands, even from where I was, I could see how much the opponent team was glaring at Aki-senpai! So scary..." The boy dramatically shivered, earning a small laugh from everyone else.

Silently, Chiaki was in her own mind, thinking about Kindaichi's words. _I just assumed I was just imagining they were glaring a lot, but I guess it was not just me thinking that... But I can't even remember the opponent team's captain's face, although we shook hands._ Chiaki hummed as she tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. "It's okay, Kindaichi-kun. There's nothing to be scared about, the game is over, and they didn't do anything to us in the end," the brunette speaks gently as she sends a smile at the slightly shorter boy. In response, Kindaichi's cheeks flushed, seeming to be a bit embarrassed under the older girl's gaze.

During this time, the girls all send a disbelieving look to their captain. The libero smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and stopped walking, catching Chiaki's attention.

"Aki-senpai! Are you serious? When we all went to the restroom, they picked a fight with us!" Maiko exclaimed, making Chiaki tilt her head to the side in silent confusion.

Her reaction makes the girls all sigh, some of them shaking their heads.

"Aki-chan, they kinda confronted you," Kanoka spoke to her friend with concern in her round eyes, "remember, the captain was like, 'it would really be a shame if one of you guys got seriously injured.' I think that was a threat."

The other girls nod in agreement while Chiaki only blinks, pursing her lips. "I thought they were just saying that for idle talk. I didn't even realize they were our opponents."

This makes everyone sweat drop, looking at the tall female in disbelief.

Maiko snorts as she shakes her head, "no, it was definitely a threat. When you agreed to her and thanked her for her concern, her face was so scary. It was like an ogre!"

This makes everyone laugh, the atmosphere becoming a slightly bit more pleasant.

"Either way, in the end, Kitagawa Daiichi won. We shouldn't be concerned about what happened," Chiaki comments, smiling at her team, who nods in agreement.

However, Chiaki's gaze shifts to her side as a hand tugs on her jacket lightly. The brunette turns her attention to the raven-haired boy who sent her a look of concern.

"You still need to be careful, Aki-senpai," Kageyama grumbles, letting go of her jacket quickly.

Chiaki's grey eyes narrowed fondly at the slightly shorter boy, her hand landing on his head and affectionately ruffling it although he released a whine of a complaint as his cheeks flushed.

"S-Senpai! Please stop it! I'm not a child!" Kageyama groaned, ducking away from his senior, who only had a small smile on her face.

"Only when you grow taller than me, Tobi-kun. You'll soon exceed my 176 cm (5'8 ft), and I won't be able to do this," Chiaki gently sent Kageyama a smile that made his cheeks tint a darker pink as he looked away.

The conversation between the middle school students carried on as Chiaki silently listened to them. However, at the light they were waiting, the female feels a familiar buzz in her pocket, letting her know she received a text message.

Looking at her screen, a smile spreads across her face as she sees the sender, swiftly reading what he said.

_____________________

 **Hajime-senpai:** Congrats on winning for the girls. Kusokawa and I were watching at the stadium. Are you guys going to the okonomiyaki place as usual? If that's the case, we'll treat the girls for today's victory.

_Received: 5:12 pm_

_______________________   
  
  


Seeing the bright smile of Chiaki's face, Kageyama looked at her in question, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

"Hajime-senpai and Oikawa-senpai said they'll treat the girls to okonomiyaki for their victory," while not loud, Chiaki's voice could be heard to all of them. An immediate ring of cheer from the girls is heard as Chiaki messages Iwaizumi back, her heart swelling as she thought about being able to see her favorite upperclassmen who had graduated last year.

Excited chatters are exchanged by everyone, many of them thrilled about being able to see their graduated senpais again.

"Both of them go to Seijoh right now, right? Most people who went to Kitagawa Daiichi ends up going there. Man, I heard they're both on the starting team already!" Kindaichi comments excitedly, a bounce to his step at the prospect of being able to ask questions related to volleyball in high school to his former senpais.

Kunimi nods in agreement as his gaze shifts to the two third-years who walk near him. "Talking about senpais and highschool, Kanoka-senpai, Aki-senpai, have you two decided which high school you'll be going to next year?"

The two girls share brief eye contact, knowing the answers to the question seeing as they've both discussed this exact topic to each other in the last few weeks.

"While Seijoh was also a choice, I decided I'll go to Niiyama Girls' High, they have a pretty strong volleyball team there," Kanoka explains with a bright smile. "And it's fairly close to where I live, so it's convenient."

At her explanation, many of them nod in understanding. Their gaze turns to the female who walks beside Kanoka, Chiaki nodding at the information. "I was also thinking about Niiyama as an option because of their reputation. However, there were a lot of choices, I've received a lot of scholarship offers. Some were even from out of the prefectures like Inarizaki and Itachiyama. Seijoh also gave me one. But in the end, I decided that I'll go to Shiratorizawa because they gave me the best offer and it's still fairly close by," the brunette calmly explained. "While it's inconvenient that it's mandatory to live in one of the numerous dormitories they have, Shiratorizawa really is an amazing school. Both academically as well as for the sports program they have. And my twin brothers went there a couple of years ago, and they both told me how powerful their volleyball team is."

"Wow! Isn't their entrance exam super hard?" Maiko questioned with her eyes shining in excitement and awe at the information her captain shares with them.

Chiaki nodded with a small smile. Her teammates didn't miss the way their captain's eyes shined brightly, not being able to hide the excitement as they talked about her future school.

Many of them start talking about their dream high school, and Chiaki silently listens to all of them with a fond smile. Especially Kageyama, as he uncharacteristically begins to explain why Shiratorizawa was the school he wanted to go to.

They're all walking down a small road, nearing where their favorite okonomiyaki place is located. While the street was big enough for all of them to walk together, when a car comes, they're all forced to shuffle to the side. While inconvenient, they walk in a single file line for a brief moment before stretching out again when the car moves on. Kageyama is still eagerly talking, and while the other seemed to be getting a bit tired at his endless rant, Chiaki intently listened to her underclassmen. However, her attention shifts away from him when her ear catches the sound of a scream. It wasn't loud, and many of her friends don't seem to have heard it and continue to walk as they converse.

The brunette briefly turns back, and her eyes widened in surprise as she sees a motorcyclist speed down the road, almost hitting other pedestrians who dodge with yelps of surprises. By then, the engine's loud sound makes most of them turn back and move out of the way in shock.

Except for Kageyama, who was still busily speaking.

Chiaki's hand shot out quickly, grasping Kageyama's jacket roughly and pulling him out of the way of the speeding vehicle. The female could hear her own heart in her ears, a sigh of relief escaping her lips as she sees that the boy is perfectly fine although looking a bit pale.

What she and none of her fellow schoolmates expected next was for the motorcycle to do a swift u-turn, speeding back at them at an alarming pace. It takes another second for Chiaki to realize that the motorcyclist _was_ aiming for them on purpose.

It happens in just a second. Chiaki was moving quicker than anyone else, the others only realizing then that the motorcyclist was aiming to hit them. To the young captain, it almost felt like it was happening in slow motion. Her hands and arms stretched forward and shoving Maiko, who was on the motorcycle's direct path. Chiaki can only briefly see the female she pushed falls to the floor, rolling away from the vehicle that was about to crash into her.

It takes only another second for her own body to feel the impact, and then the pain that shoots down her whole right side of her body. And then everything was happening so fast as if it didn't feel like slow motion a mere second ago.

The loud scream is deafening, and Chiaki wasn't sure if it came out of her own or her teammates' and friends' mouths.

The second impact is from the floor. Her shoulder and head smacked into the cold concrete ground, her body bouncing like a rag doll and rolling a couple of times before coming to an abrupt stop. The brunette could no longer feel her legs or arms, her mouth opening, and closing, although no sounds came out.

Black dots appeared in Chiaki's sight. She wheezed, desperately trying to suck air into her lungs. She isn't able to as the taste of salty copper fills her mouth as she gurgles, it dripping down the side of her lips at the movement. The warmth of her own blood on her skin is a drastic difference to the winter air of February that bites into her cheek.

Even with her blurry gaze, she recognized the panic-stricken face of Kageyama peering down at her, screaming something. His voice and words didn't reach her ears. Instead, Chiaki's head was filled with high pitch ringing that made her feel nauseous.

The injured female's grey orbs shifts to a new presence that appears in her sight. Beside Kageyama's youthful face, a slightly older boy, Oikawa Tōru, peers down at her.

In the past, she only interacted with Oikawa when Iwaizumi was involved seeing as he was his best friend. But without saying much, Chiaki had a feeling the former Kitagawa Daiichi boy's volleyball captain didn't exactly like her although he always kept a smile on his face. Like her, he probably only tolerated her presence because of Iwaizumi. Chiaki never did like his fake smiles. For that reason, the expression on Oikawa's face as he looked down at her was slightly refreshing. Something different from those fake, unpleasant smiles.

The usually cheeky boy's caramel orbs are filled with fear as he touches her cheek with his hand. Even with a clouded mind, Chiaki could tell it was trembling.

His mouth moves, but Chiaki can't understand him. She blinks once, the black spots increasing even more. And the next time she blinked, everything turned pitch black as she lost consciousness.  
  
  



	2. Chapter 1 | Ripped Wings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Injuries begin to heal, yet the damage is done. Dreams are broken, ripped wings will never be the same.

**Word Count:** 5.5 K

🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V**.🏐🏐

Two males share eye contact with each other as they stand in front of a door in the empty hallways. Neither one of them looks like they want to take the initiative on knocking on it, their expression twisted in discomfort they feel at the moment.

Eventually, Iwaizumi sighs, his knuckles connecting to the plastic door before sliding it open, peering his head in. He immediately catches sight of a brunette sitting up on the hospital bed, looking out the window of the room. When he officially steps in, followed by Oikawa, Chiaki finally looks at him.

Iwaizumi can immediately see that the female's skin is a few tones paler than usual, dark circles under her eyes. Her head is bandaged, and neither of the boys missed the irritated redness of the abrasion on her cheek. Subconsciously, Oikawa's gaze moved to the female's lower body that's covered with a thin blanket that hides the injuries she has.

In conclusion, she looked beat up. However, she flashes Iwaizumi a gentle smile as he approaches her.

"Hey..." Iwaizumi grumbles as he takes the seat in a chair that is placed next to the bed. As he does, he takes hold of the female's smaller hands, giving it a squeeze that she returns.

Chiaki has a soft look on her face, sending the male beside her a small curl of her lips, "thank you for visiting Hajime-senpai, Oikawa-senpai," her grey orbs briefly shift to Oikawa who still awkwardly stood by the door, looking frozen.

The chestnut-haired male makes a face before he steps in. He nods at Chiaki stiffly before placing the bouquet of flowers he brought, placing them with the others that seemed to fill the room from visitors prior to them.

"It looks like you've already got a lot of them, but this is from us," Oikawa meekly comments before taking his place behind Iwaizumi, looking uncomfortable. Chiaki only nods at him in thanks while Iwaizumi openly ignores him, the said male staring at the girl he's holding hands with.

A silence falls over the three teenagers for a brief moment before Chiaki breaks it. "I hope you guys didn't have a hard time coming up here. Were there a lot of reporters outside?" The brunette questions softly, looking at the two boys in concern.

Iwaizumi shakes his head, his eyebrows furrowing. Chiaki doesn't miss the way his cheeks twitched, a look of annoyance appearing on his face for a split second. "No, your older brothers had told the hospital that we would be visiting beforehand, so coming in was no problem. But I'm not gonna lie, the hospital entrance is swarmed with sports journalists. The security is doing a good job keeping them out."

Chiaki nodded in understanding, her delicate features clouding for a moment. However, her gentle smile is back on her face as she sees that Oikawa was looking at all of the gifts that filled the room.

"Tobi-kun and the rest of the team came yesterday to visit me. Before that, a lot of Dad's athletes also came to see how I've been doing. It's sweet of them, don't you think?" The female's gaze softened as she eyed the handwritten letter that Kageyama had written her. Her heart swells just remembering the content of the message, knowing the slightly awkward boy did his best to write down his emotions and wishes for her to get better.

Iwaizumi only hums in response, his eyes not moving away from Chiaki's face. He doesn't miss a single change in expressions, and Chiaki knows her older friend was reading her like a book.

"Oh, talking about Tobi-kun, he told me you and Oikawa-senpai had arrived at the scene right when I got hit. He also told me that because Hajime-senpai tackled the motorcyclist, the police were able to apprehend him before he escaped. The police and lawyers said that because you did that, they were able to collect the evidence that this whole thing was planned. The motorcyclist was the boyfriend of our last opponent's captain, and on his phone was a text message where the captain asked him to hurt someone in our team, preferably me. It's a good thing that no one else got hurt. When I said that, Maiko and Kanoka started sobbing and apologized. It's silly. They were saying sorry for something they had no control over. Poor Maiko was blaming herself, silly girl, don't you think?" Chiaki chuckled as she shook her head.

Iwaizumi, on the other hand, wasn't laughing. Instead, he was not able to help it but to scowl as the female uncharacteristically begins to blabber. Even Oikawa seems to be taken aback, silently thinking this was the most he had heard her talk without stopping. At the same time, he couldn't deny the discomfort he felt as the female talked about her accident so nonchalantly.

"Talking about the motorcyclist, what's gonna happen to him? The accident has been broadcasted by the local and sports news for the last week because it was the _Dove_ , who was hurt," Oikawa questioned, hoping to change the topic a bit. It actually did the opposite, earning an angry glare from his friend. Oikawa gulped, realizing that if Iwaizumi's eyes were daggers, he would be dead by now.

"My parents are going to court. Both the captain and her boyfriend will be going to trial for aggravated assault. It's going to be complicated because they are both minors, but seeing the damage left on my body, they'll most likely be heading to a juvenile training school for at least five years. The punishment probably won't be any greater than that, that's what Minato-nii-san said. Japan's law is all about rehabilitating juvenile criminals instead of punishing them," Chiaki explained, noticing both Oikawa and Iwaizumi's gaze shifted to her covered lower body with a grim look.

The said female worriedly looked at Iwaizumi, who had a blank look on his face, staying uncharacteristically silent, not speaking a word since she spoke. She opens her mouth to speak again, but before she could, the said male beats to it.

"Oi, Kuzukawa, step outside for a moment."

This makes Oikawa frown, a low whine leaving his lips. "But Iwa-chan! I want to talk to Aki-chan too! Don't be stingy, you brut-"

"Oikawa."

The chestnut-color-haired male froze at the tone Iwaizumi used. Oikawa frowned and didn't argue, knowing his boundaries enough to understand his best friend wasn't playing around with the tone he used. The fluffy-haired boy stiffly nodded as he stepped to the door, "I'll go downstairs and grab something for us to drink at the cafeteria," Oikawa mutters as he closed the door behind him, leaving the two teens in the hospital room.

Chiaki had considerably stiffened, looking at the door where Oikawa left from, silently wishing the boy would come back. And no such things happens, forcing her to look at the male who was intently staring at her.

"Chiaki."

It took everything in Chiaki not to start crying as her friend called her name gently. The teen swallowed thickly and looked down at her hands, avoiding looking at Iwaizumi's steady gaze.

"Have you been eating? I swear you look like you've lost ten pounds since I've last seen you," the spiky-haired male nags, knowing the female was still refusing to look him into his eyes.

"I'm not hungry..."

"I know, Minato-san texted me saying you're refusing to eat anything the hospital provides you. All of your brothers actually texted me. They're concerned. So, you better stop being a brat and tell me what you want to eat so I can text Oikawa to go run to buy it," Iwaizumi words are harsh, yet he speaks gently as if he doesn't want to aggravate the female in bed.

Chiaki doesn't respond, her head down, her brown strands that are a bit oily covering her face. Iwaizumi opens his mouth to speak again, but he freezes as he feels a warm droplet land on the hand that was still connected with the injured girl.

His eyes widened for a moment before narrowing in pain as more droplets landed on his hands, his lips pressed into a straight line. He bit into his trembling bottom lip, fighting back his own emotions as he watched the girl before him break down.

"An f-fractured hip, shattered knee, and an ACL tear...."

Iwaizumi sucked in a breath, his heart dropping as he quickly realized what those injuries usually meant for an athlete. The teen can hear his own heartbeat in his ears, his fingers tightening around the smaller hand he held.

"Even with all the reconstruction surgery, t-the doctors said it isn't likely I'll be able to play v-volleyball the same way again..." Chiaki sobbed, finally letting Iwaizumi's hand go to cover her face with her hands. She released a shuddering breath into her palms as tears continued to flow out of her grey eyes that were filled with anguish.

The male was distraught. However, he didn't hesitate to carefully sit on the bed, bringing the female into his arms, hugging her close while being mindful of her injuries. His hands cupped her cheeks, his thumb wiping the streaks of tears, his thumb brushing against her beauty mark near her right eye. He scowls as tears continue to flow, Chiaki's sobs getting louder. Iwaizumi gripped her tight, pushing her face into his chest, not caring as his sweater became wet with her tears.

The brunette's fingers gripped onto Iwaizumi, her knuckles becoming white as she cried. Her whole body shuddered as she let tears flow for the very first time since she woke up, letting all the pain-filled emotions out.

"I-I don't know what to... Hajime-senpai.... I-It _hurts_ so much. I don't know what to do anymore...!"

Iwaizumi gritted his teeth as he tightened his arms, his own eyes tearing up at his friend's pain. "I'm so sorry, Chiaki... I'm sorry..."

His words only broke the fragile girl's heart as she cried out loud, her wails echoing in the room and into the hallway.

Oikawa stood frozen outside the door, his hands holding two cups of hot chocolate that were steaming. Slowly, he stepped away from the door. The brunet takes a seat on the bench with his head down, the drinks long-forgotten near his feet. His lips are tugged down as he listens to the cry, and it takes another moment for Oikawa to know he's feeling confused.

An awful part of him wants to make fun of the female, knowing he has never heard her cry during the seven years he's known her. Laugh in her face. But at the same time, he feels his heart twinge at the anguish cries that reach his ears. He would have thought he would feel triumph to be able to see the indifference of Chiaki crumble after all these years. Yet, he didn't feel that. Instead, he felt her pain, and that confused him.

Why? He had always hated the sweet smile on her face, the look of indifference when he claimed he'll be a better volleyball player than her. The way Chiaki always said 'good luck,' with that small smile of hers. He hated her, the sweet volleyball prodigy that everyone was keeping an eye on. The girl everyone had high hopes for. The girl with the silver spoon in her mouth. But at that moment, that emotion that he always thought was associated with her was not there.

"Oh, it's you."

Oikawa looks up in surprise as two pairs of shoes appear in his sight. He's taken aback at the sudden appearance of the two tall giants that look down at him with a frown.

"Taiga-san, Kouga-san," Oikawa stiffens as he immediately climbs onto his feet, bowing at the twins in slight fear. He had fair amounts of interactions with the Ibato twins growing up, many of them being bitter memories getting pummeled on the courts while playing volleyball. Mainly because the twins knew that Oikawa was often rather nasty to their baby sister.

Kouga released an audible click of his tongue, eyeing the younger boy briefly before looking at the door of his sister's room. His eyes hardened as he heard his sister's cries, a part of him relieved that she was finally able to cry, being honest to herself.

"Is Hajime-kun in there with her?" Taiga asked with a close eyed smile, pushing his black-framed glasses higher onto the bridge of his nose. Oikawa held back a shudder as he realized that while the male was smiling, it didn't reach his grey eyes.

Oikawa nodded in response as the twins looked away from him to eye the closed door with a look of concern in their sharp grey eyes. Taiga ran a hand through his light brown hair roughly, looking to be in a bad mood as he paced around. On the other hand, his identical older brother crossed his arms over his chest with a look of contemplation. He seemed to be in his own mind.

Feeling uncomfortable being left alone with the older men, Oikawa scratched his chin before smiling brightly, hoping to lighten the mood somehow with his words. While he finds truth to what he said, Oikawa can't deny the small malicious tone he uses, letting his immature and insensitive side bleed out because of his jealousy. "I-It's really unfortunate about the accident, huh? B-But knowing her, she'll be up and running soon, right? In a few weeks or so, she'll be out on the court, giving me shit in volleyball, especially when she gets into high school. I can just imagine her being a pain in the but-"

Oikawa doesn't even know what had happened as he yanked forward, barely having the time to flinch. His sight was filled with the angry face of Kouga, the older boy gripping to the collar of the sweater he wears.

"Wha!?"

"Watch what you say, you snot-nosed brat!"

Oikawa's eyes are wide with confusion and fear as the older man glared at him, looking ready to punch the living lights out of him. And Oikawa knew that was very much possible with a single swing. He can't help but cough slightly as the grip Kouga had around the collar of his sweater tightened, making it harder for him to breathe. Just as he's about to retaliate in self-defense, a voice speaks up.

"She's not going to be able to."

Both Kouga and Oikawa's gaze moved away from each other, turning their head to look at Taiga, who hadn't move a single inch from where he was standing earlier. The said man didn't have his usual smile on his face, his eyes narrowed on Oikawa with a dangerous glint.

However, Oikawa isn't able to notice this, his mind on what the man said. He swallowed thickly before pushing Kouga away from him, the man releasing him without a struggle. The Seijoh student rubbed at his throat, sending Kouga, who was stomping away a glare. "Taiga-san, what do you mean she's not going to be able to?" Oikawa questioned, his eyebrows furrowing. The male cursed inwardly as he realized his voice was slightly hoarse, coughing slightly as he rubbed at the sore area.

Taiga glanced where his brother stomped off to cool down before turning his attention to the younger boy who looked at him. Oikawa nearly flinched as the grey-eyed man stared straight into his eyes, not looking away. Oikawa felt like Taiga was able to read the most profound secrets he had, and it made his blood rush through his system as his heart beats in nervousness.

"I meant exactly what I said, Oikawa-kun. Chi-chan isn't going to be able to do everything you said. Her career as a volleyball player ended as soon as the motorcycle hit her, shattering her bones. Even with the reconstruction surgery in a few days, she's never going to be the same. So watch what you say. Your words are enough to completely break her, and I don't mean it physically," Taiga's smooth voice was filled with a threat as he pushed passed Oikawa, not caring as his shoulders slammed into the younger boy. "Now excuse me, I need to go look for my twin you've upset. God, I can't understand why Chi-chan even tolerated you," the way the man said it was so light and almost cheerful. But at the same time, the words itself were filled with so much bite and poison that it made Oikawa dizzy with whiplash.

Now alone in the hallways, Oikawa crumbled back into the bench, running a hand through his hair. He clenched and unclenched his jaw before releasing a loud breath. The newfound information finally seemed to get processed in his mind.

Ibato Chiaki was no longer going to be able to play volleyball. Her injuries were too significant.

Oikawa felt a sinking feeling in his stomach as he imagined if that happened to him. Subconsciously, his hand found his injured knee. While he knew it was fine, he can't help but feel it throb. He swallowed. This measly injury had devastated him greatly. But today, he can still play the sport he loves.

She couldn't anymore.

And for the first time, Oikawa truly felt bad for the girl.

"Damn, I really am a shitty person like Iwa-chan said..." The male released a dry, lifeless laugh in the empty hallway of the hospital, closing his eyes. The sound of soft crying and hiccups coming from the closed-door didn't make it any better.

By his feet were the two cups of hot chocolates that were long forgotten and cold.  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐🏐 **6 months later** 🏐🏐

The sweltering, humid heat of Japan's summer was already felt early in the morning. The sheen layer of perspiration dripping down Chiaki's neck as she hobbled around the house, gathering her stuff for the day.

"Are you sure you can get to school on your own? I can call in with my first appointment and push it back," Minako called from the kitchen, adding the finishing touches in preparing the bento box for her daughter.

Chiaki hummed as she fixed her dyed silver hair in the mirror, making sure all her extra strands are tucked into the weaved braid that's gathered into a fluffy messy braid on her left side. She then checked her piercings, frowning a bit as she saw her helix piercings seemed a bit swollen. "It's okay. Didn't you say your first appointment was with one of the starting players for MSBY Black Jackals? The one who hurt his ankle last month? I'm sure he's eager to see you to get the approval to start playing games again."

Minako sighed as she placed her hand on her cheek, watching her daughter struggle around the house. "I cannot believe both Taiga and Kouga got called in so suddenly in the morning for their internship. I'm surprised they didn't put up more of a fight when they found out neither of them could drive you to school," the dark-haired woman frowned as she packed the lunchbox, bringing it to Chiaki, "isn't there a friend you can contact that'll come pick you up and help you to school?"

The silver-haired teen rolled her eyes as she adjusted her crutches, allowing her mother to tuck the bento box into her school bag. "Mom, it's fine. Schools super close, that's why I picked it in the end. And you know I'm in a tough position regarding friends," Chiaki gently explains as she slips on her shoes.

While sad, it was the truth. It's hard to make friends when everyone else has already established friend groups during the first three months of the school year. While it was tough, Chiaki wasn't complaining, she's just happy she was finally able to attend school, normality was slowly returning to her life. Something she was desperate for.

However, there's no denying how it was still a bit awkward walking into the classroom. Because of her physical therapy and relearning how to walk, Chiaki had no choice but to miss school from April to mid-August. The first day she went to school was right after the summer break, and there's no denying she had gathered attention suddenly showing up. Especially when she was flanked by her enormously tall twin brothers from both sides.

Chiaki had barely got through the third period of the day, and she had already learned there were numerous rumors of herself. The mystery girl that hadn't shown up to school a single time since the academic year started. And by the time lunch came, the news of Chiaki finally showing up had spread like wildfire between the freshmen, many of them peaking into her classroom to catch a glimpse of her. It made her feel uncomfortable. While she was used to being under the spotlight regarding volleyball, she had never been watched like this.

The silver-haired teen, however, couldn't deny all the stories made up were funny. Some speculations were so wild, it almost sounded like it was the script for an upcoming Hollywood movie. And that was a few weeks ago.

"Oh, I just remembered! Last night, I was talking to Minato. He said he wants you calling him so he can talk to you about your birthday present for next month," Minako recalls, smiling to herself as she thinks about her eldest son that lives in Tokyo. "And your father wants to talk to you soon too. He said he misses you."

Chiaki can't help but smile at that, thinking about her eldest brother and father who live in Tokyo because of their jobs. "I miss him too," the teen sweetly comments, her droopy grey orbs taking a gentle look, "I definitely try to call after school. I'm about caught up with school work and tests, so everything should calm down soon in a few days."

Minako lovingly gives her only daughter a kiss to her cheek, "stay good in school, Chi-chan."

"For sure, see you later, Mom."

Chiaki squints her eyes, her lips tugging down a bit as the bright rays of sun attack her sensitive eyes. She blinks a couple of times to adjust before she hobbles down the street with her crutches. _I've gotten better at this now._ The female thinks as she walks down the quiet streets, the time too early for most students. While there's no denying traveling with crutches with a knee brace sucks tremendously, it was mostly doable. And Chiaki couldn't help but think her upper body strength has gotten stronger.

Everything was going perfectly. That was until she realizes she has to walk down the stairs. For a minute, Chiaki glares at the dreadful stairs. _I'm glad I left the house early. As long as I take my time going down, there shouldn't be a problem._ With a sigh, Chiaki moves to hobble down the stairs, reaching halfway, much to her delight.

Though suddenly, she feels herself tipping forward as one of her crutches slides off the side. Chiaki could feel her balance getting wholly thrown off, and her eyes subconsciously close as she feels herself tip forward. _I'm going to fall!_ And Chiaki could imagine this wasn't going to be pleasant. Even the smallest jolt could cause tremendous damage to her healing body as the bones attached together with bolts weren't healed yet.

Just as she's accepting her fate, she feels a strong arm wrap her midriff, yanking her back as she gasps.

"T-That was dangerous," a masculine voice mutters, and Chiaki looks up in surprise to see a male with short, dark brown hair looking down at her with wide eyes as he supports her. Both of their gazes shifted to the bottom of the stairs, eyeing the single crutch that had clattered down, a fate that Chiaki was luckily able to avoid thanks to this man.

"Hey, are you alright? That was a close call, wasn't it?" The boy comments, his round brown eyes soft as he gives the silver-haired girl a gentle smile.

Chiaki nods in agreement, returning the smile with a similar expression, "thank you..."

The young man nods before looking back down at the bottom of the stairs with a frown. During this time, Chiaki observes the male. He wore a black tracksuit and was close to her height, if not a bit taller than her. For age, Chiaki was quick to decide he was probably close to her or a bit older.

"Here, let me help you down these stairs since one of your crutches is already down there. We don't want the same thing repeating anyways."

Chiaki blinks, realizing what the boy said. Flustered, she shakes her head, "i-it's okay! You've already helped me from getting hurt..."

The boy doesn't take no for an answer, frowning as his eyebrows furrow. "I insist. I don't want you getting even more hurt," the male comments as he eyes the knee brace around Chiaki's right knee.

This only makes the female hesitantly nod. Getting her consent, the dark-haired male beams brightly. "Okay, I think the safest way I can get us down is by carrying you on my back. So, just hold onto your crutch and bag and wrap your arms around my neck, okay?"

Chiaki doesn't even have a moment to argue as the male swiftly turns around, crouching down. As he does this, for the first time, she notices the white lettering on his back.

烏野高校 排球部

Karasuno High School Volleyball Club

It takes everything in Chiaki's power not to freeze. She stares at the white letters as if they're a curse before hesitantly placing a hand on the broad shoulder in front of her. She doesn't want to keep the boy waiting, seeing as he was being kind and was offering to help her.

With her secured in place, the male stretches his legs to full height as he carefully descends the stairs. The female's cheeks feel a bit warm, knowing she wasn't exactly light. With her height and the added weight of her school bag, she didn't think it was an easy feat carrying her down. However, the boy doesn't struggle, quickly reaching the bottom floor before gently returning her to her feet and even collecting the fallen crutch on the ground.

"Here you go!"

Chiaki receives it with a small boy, "thank you, uh."

"Sawamura Daichi, a second year. Looking from your uniform, you're also a Karasuno student."

Chiaki nods as she bows again, "Ibato Chiaki, first year. Thank you for your help, senpai."

The silver-haired female feels worry seep out of her as the male in front of her freezes, staring at her with his eyes round with surprise.

"I-Ibato Chiaki...?"

Looking at his face, Chiaki could tell that the male in front of her knew who she was after hearing her name. She should have expected that seeing as he was part of the volleyball club. He eyed her, his eyes scrutinizing her carefully. Chiaki can't blame him. She had drastically changed her appearance since middle school. Her light brown locks are dyed a light silver, her hairstyle no longer being a single high ponytail on top of her head. Chiaki was almost sure that even her old teammates wouldn't recognize her immediately with just a glance.

Under Daichi's careful gaze, Chiaki quickly prepared for the questions he was probably going to ask, mentally thinking about a way she could skillfully avoid them. However, they never come as he sends her a gentle smile.

"I see, well, Ibato-san, it's a pleasure to meet you. Since we are heading the same way, can I walk with you?"

Chiaki could feel her grey eyes widen for a moment before she forced herself to return the smile. While unexpected, Chiaki can't help but be thankful. While most people would have bombarded her with questions after learning who she was, this boy didn't ask, probably out of respect for her. And that immediately bought him extra brownie points in Chiaki's eyes.

The female was sure that Daichi was well aware of what had happened to her. Five months ago, the trial and results were all over the local news along with the monthly volleyball magazine. Even now, after half a year, the magazine sometimes brought her up, wondering where the volleyball prodigy had disappeared to.

Chiaki silently walked next to Daichi, the male mostly speaking for her. She was slightly taken aback as the male offered to take her bag, making it easier for her to use her crutches. She was thankful. And although she didn't speak much, it looks like he didn't take offense. Instead, seeming to understand that while she didn't say much, she was intently listening to him.

"Are you walking home too? If that's the case, would you like me to help? I don't have practice in the afternoon today, and I'm going to assume we live in the same general direction," Daichi asks, concern flashing in his warm brown eyes as he gazes at her.

Chiaki shook her head, "no. Thank you for the offer, but my older brother will be picking me up to take me to physical therapy. But I really do appreciate your concern, senpai," the silver-haired teen flashed the male a genuine soft smile, which immediately made heat rush to Daichi's cheeks.

Soon, they were on campus, the sweet male even walking her to her classroom and helping her to her seat and putting her crutches to the side where they won't get in anyone's way. Chiaki looked down at the floor, silently debating to herself.

"Well, I'm glad we were able to get here safely. I think I'm gonna head out now. I'm actually supposed to meet some of my teammates soon!"

Hearing this, Chiaki, who was looking down just a moment ago, snaps her head up. Her hands shoot out to clutch onto the corner of Daichi's jacket, making the said male look down at her in shock.

"Uh, Daichi-senpai...? Is that okay for me to call you that?"

Daichi freezes in surprise but quickly nods, making a beam spread across Chiaki's face.

"I-If you're always leaving your house at the time you were today, would it be okay for me to join you starting from tomorrow?" Chiaki hesitantly questioned, feeling a tad bit shy at the question. While she didn't often make efforts to make friends, something deep inside of her was telling her Sawamura Daichi was someone she should befriend.

Daichi looks taken aback by the request, his eyes widening a tad fraction. However, he releases a small chuckle, his lips curving up. "Of course, Ibato-san. I would like that as well."

"Aki. Please call me Aki, Daichi-senpai."

This makes Daichi's cheeks flush, but he nods, smiling back at the girl who happily takes out her phone, the two exchanging LINE info so they're able to contact each other.

Chiaki stares at her screen even after Daichi leaves the classroom, a small curve on her lips.

"I think I made my first friend in high school."  
  


🏐🏐 _EXTRA_ 🏐🏐

**CANON TO THIS STORY**

"What do you mean, we don't have to drop you off in the morning starting tomorrow!" Kouga snapped in bewilderment, his sharp grey orbs wide as he stared at his younger sister. "Of course, we have to! You can't even go anywhere without crutches yet."

Chiaki sighed as she nodded at Taiga in thanks as he took her bag from her, placing it in the car. "I mean exactly what I said, Kouga-nii. From tomorrow I'll walk to school with a friend."

This makes the twins look at each other in surprise. But, nonetheless, a look of happiness flash in their eyes as they see their younger sister genuinely smile as she steps into the car. Knowing her well, they can see that Chiaki was in a good mood as she looked out the window as the Ibato siblings drove through the town heading to their mother's clinic.

Taiga looks through the rear mirror as he spoke while driving. "I'm glad you've finally got a friend, Chi-Chan. If that's the case, Kouga and I approve that you go to school with them. That'll help build a stronger friendship."

Kouga nodded his head beside Taiga approvingly, a wide smile on his face. This makes the corner of Chiaki's lips turn up, happy that she was able to easily get the approval of her two slightly over-protective brothers.

Taiga shifts his gaze back to the rear mirror to glance at his younger sister. "So, who is this friend of yours? Is she a classmate?"

Chiaki blinks. "When did I ever say it was a she? He's a second-year student, a senpai who helped me this morning."

This makes both Taiga and Kouga freeze, a dangerous gleam entering their sharp eyes.

"I take it back, I don't approve of you going to school with this boy!" Kouga snapped, a look of horror painted on his face. "He must have some kind of bad intentions and you—"

Chiaki sighed as she plugged headphones into her ears, drowning out her brothers.  
  


🏐🏐ADRW FACTS🏐🏐

_Some characteristics that is revealed about Chiaki in this chapter + some fun facts not mentioned._

_*She is no longer a brunette! She dyed her hair silver, a bit lighter than what we would see for Sugawara._  
 _*Who dyes her hair? Kageyama's older sister Miwa!_  
 _*another similarity with Sugawara was mentioned. She has a beauty mark under her right eye, just on the opposite side of the male._  
 _*She has piercings! 6 in total. A double helix and a lobe on the right ear and three vertical piercing on her lobe on her left._  
 _*Chiaki has grey_ たれ目 _(tare-me) which can be translated to droopy eyes. The opposite of sharp feline eyes._  
 _*Chiaki is the youngest of her family of 6, and she has three older brothers, Minato, Taiga, and Kouga. Taiga and Kouga are twins._  
 _*while the twins share the same eye color as Chiaki, Instead of having tare-me they have sharp eyes, something their father has._  
 _*personality-wise she's a soft, gentle person who doesn't speak much. More of an observant type._  
 _*Went to Kitagawa Daiichi and became Vice Captain during her second year and became captain as a third year. Her number was 4, which comes from being the fourth child of the_ Ibato _family._  
 _*when wearing her uniform, she wears it like Shimizu although her blazer is a bit big. This is to cover her figure a bit. She also wears thigh highs so she doesn't show a lot of the skin on her legs expect the little bits. She also constantly wears a black knee brace above her socks._  
 _*When speaking, Chiaki uses polite words,_ です、ます _"desu" and "masu". Even to those who are younger than her. But sometimes she stops when she's with younger people who are close to her: example Kageyama. If you want a reference, she kinda speaks in a similar way as Akashi from Fukuroudani._  
 _*If Chiaki was in the anime, her voice actor would be Hanazawa Kana. A character she voiced and speaks in a similar tone as Chiaki is 'Koi to Uso' Takasaki Misaki!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chiaki is a precious bean.... must protect.
> 
> as you all probably saw, there was an extra at the end of this chapter, from this chapter on, my goal is to add an extra or some fan facts/info. Sometimes, it is going to relate to the story (like today's) and sometimes not (something that doesn't really happen). So canon and non-canon may happen. It'll most likely be mentioned somewhere which it is.
> 
> I honestly plan to make the extra something enjoyable and one clip of scenes that I couldn't fit into the main story. I may even take a request of what you guys want to see. Some examples may be a cute flashback of Chiaki in middle school with Kageyama. Or maybe a scene of her childhood like when the first time she met Iwaizumi and Oikawa. Or perhaps, even other characters that will show up later in the story. Either way, it'll be fun, I may get inspired to write after going through Pinterest because there are so many cute fan one-shot mangas there.
> 
> More information of the OC will be revealed later on the story along with stats as well as a drawing of reference for you all! Thank you for reading!!
> 
> -Ember
> 
> Posted: 2020. 7. 24


	3. Scars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 6.3 k

🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V**.🏐🏐  
  


"Ibato-san!"

Chiaki looked up from organizing her textbook in surprise as a voice called to. Her soft gaze lands on one of her female classmates who stands near the door.

"The second year senpai from yesterday is here for you again!"

Chiaki's face visibly brightens as she grabs her crutches and lunchbox, making her way to the door. The teen can't help but flash Daichi a smile, ignoring the curious gazes she received from her fellow classmates.

"Hi, here let me help you," Daichi returned her smile with a boyish grin, taking her lunchbox out of her hand to make it easier for her to walk with her crutches.

It doesn't take long for the two to go to their usual place at the back of the school garden, spreading out their lunch. The unlikely friendship between Daichi and Chiaki had bloomed over the last two weeks. The two spent their morning and lunch together, enjoying the others company with mundane conversations. Although Chiaki does admit, Daichi did most of the talking, she only added in some of her thoughts when she deemed it worthy.

Chiaki liked Daichi's presence. He was a gentle male, watching and listening to her silently whenever she did speak. It didn't take her long to realize Daichi reminded her of her eldest brother, Minato a bit. There was something extremely warm and calming about him, and Chiaki subconsciously gravitated towards him. When beside him, she felt at ease, just as she would with family.

And Daichi was respectful. Chiaki sometimes almost wondered if he had some kind of radar in his head that warned him of conversations that could potentially make her uncomfortable. He would skillfully and smoothly change the topic whenever he did realize that she didn't want to talk about it, much to her relief.

Daichi never bought up her past. And Chiaki greatly appreciated it. However, she also noticed that volleyball was a significant part of his school life.

While he did try to avoid the topic of the volleyball with her, it was a bit hard when his life basically revolved around the sport. His closest friends at school were his teammates. He was in the gym practicing or hanging out with his teammates if he wasn't in lectures.

Chiaki couldn't blame him. Instead, she decided she liked it when Daichi spoke about volleyball. A lot of times, the dark-haired male would reveal his struggle with his skills and techniques. In response, Chiaki would gently give him some advice, which he intently listened to, sometimes even noting them down.

One thing that _did_ trouble Chiaki was that Daichi always invites her to visit volleyball practice after school. At this point, she almost felt bad politely declining the invitations because he did it so diligently every single day they had lunch together. Luckily, at the current moment, she had the excuse of having her physical therapy session with her mother after school. While there was no harm in pushing the meeting an hour back, Daichi doesn't have to know that.

And Chiaki was also quick to find out the fastest way for the older boy to drop the specific topic. As long as she says one of her older brothers were picking her up, Daichi would promptly shut up, looking a few shades paler, a shiver running down his back.

While Chiaki did feel a bit bad, it seemed that the twins did their damage when she had failed to stop them from rushing to the door when Daichi picked her up one morning a bit earlier than usual. From what she knows, Taiga and Kouga had given the poor boy a earful of warnings that made Daichi more cautious around her, much to Chiaki's dismay.

"You have chemistry after lunch, right? I don't know how you do it. If it was me, with a full stomach and a hard topic, I wouldn't be able to keep my eyes open," Daichi grimaced as he walked beside the teen, matching his walking speed with her.

Chiaki couldn't help but release a small giggle at the face of disgust he made. "I like chemistry, it's not too bad."

At her comment, Daichi's face twisted to horror, looking a bit betrayed and disgusted. He opens his mouth to say something, but before he could, he gets cut off by a hand slamming into his back, a small spluttered choke leaving his mouth.

Chiaki blinks, her lips parting in surprise as her friend gets attacked by a boy with silver hair a few shades darker than her own.

"Daichi, you sly dog! This is where you've been disappearing off to during lunch! Eating with a girl!" The boy exclaims as he continues to slam Daichi's back, the said male wincing at each smack.

"S-Suga! Ouch! Cut it out!" Daichi winces, successfully dodging the last smack before sending Chiaki an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Aki-chan. This is—"

Once again, Daichi is cut off by a body smacking into his side, a head slamming into his right ribs, a pained groan leaving his mouth as he doubles over. "Daichi-san! How could you! Going off to eat with a cute girl, leaving us!" A short male with the small part of his bangs bleached to a dirty blond cries out.

"Yeah, Daichi-San! This is the utmost betrayal you could do!" A tall male with a shaved head joined in, grabbing onto Daichi and shaking him.

Chiaki watched everything unfold in silence. _What in the world.._. Her gaze moved to another male who stood back, looking lost, not knowing what to do with the chaos of Daichi getting bombarded by three people. The man was tall and broad, with his dark hair tied in a bun at the back of his head. He looked tough. However, Chiaki had a feeling he wasn't really that seeing as he looked bewildered, being at a loss what to do. Their eyes briefly meet, and Chiaki was able to detect hesitance and unease in his gaze before he worried turned his attention back to his friends.

But it seems like neither Chiaki nor the man has to do anything as Daichi stopped everyone with an angry, " ** _hey_**!"

All three males that flocked around him froze, a look of nervousness appearing in their eyes as a disheveled Daichi glared at them. Before the dark-haired male opens his mouth to begin scolding them, they squeak out a quick, "sorry!" shuffling back, placing a reasonable distance away from the annoyed male.

Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose, briefly closing his eyes. The tall man with the tied hair stepped forward, eyeing Daichi with concern, "you okay there, Daichi?" He asked, checking up at the male who looked suddenly exhausted.

Daichi waved him off with a hand before reopening his eyes, looking at Chiaki with a frown. His gaze softened on her, a penitent look on his face for a brief moment.

"Sorry about that, Aki-chan," Daichi is quick to apologize, sending a stink eye at his friends. "My uh, friends can get a bit rowdy, but I swear they're not bad people."

Chiaki can't help the small smile that makes it onto her face as Daichi defends his friends. "It's okay, Daichi-senpai, these must be your teammates you talked about," she assures, glancing at the males that crowd around her.

Hearing the silver-haired girl's words, the boys all perked up, their eyes shining brightly as they looked at Daichi before moving their gaze back at her.

The grey-haired boy blinked in awe while the two other boys beside him froze, staring at Chiaki with their mouth parted in wonder. "Wow! Now getting a closer look at her, she is really pretty!" He comments, a wide grin spreading across his face.

At his words, Daichi narrows his eyes to his friend in warning before deciding to introduce her to them. "This is Ibato Chiaki-chan, a first-year, in class five. Aki-chan, the guy with grey hair, is Sugawara Koushi, and the big guy who looks terrified behind him is Azumane Asahi. They're both second years with me."

Chiaki nods in understanding, quickly observing the two males and inputting their name and appearance into her mind. After a moment, she looked at Sugawara with a small smile spreading on her face. This makes the said male blush, not knowing how to exactly react.

"We match."

Sugawara's mouth parted in confusion, his eyebrows furrowing. Chiaki was able to read his reaction, a small giggle escaping her lips. Balancing herself on her crutches, she pointed to the little beauty mark under her right eye. This makes Sugawara raise his own hand to touch his own beauty mark under his left eye.

"Also, our hair."

Realizing what Chiaki was pointing out, Sugawara's cheeks flushed for unknown reasons, becoming flustered. He looked away from Chiaki, his hand coming up to cover his lower face, refusing to meet her eyes.

Daichi coughed once, bringing attention to himself as he pointed his thumb back at the two other males who were uncharacteristically being quiet. "Aki-chan, those two, Tanaka and Nishinoya are also first-years, so they're the same age as you."

Chiaki follows her friend's gaze to see him eyeing the two frozen teens. From her past conversation with Daichi, she was quick to decide that the smaller male was Nishinoya seeing as he had mentioned him being the libero a handful of times. Which left the male with a buzz cut to be Tanaka.

"Wait, Daichi. You said her name was Ibato Chiaki, _right_...?" Asahi questioned hesitantly. With his words, Sugawara, who was flustered just a moment ago, reacts, a look of surprise and recognition flashing in his grey eyes.

This makes Chiaki nearly flinch, quickly realizing that the two second years probably figured out who she was. Their reaction makes her want to curl her body in, feeling a bit uncomfortable. Thankfully, it seems like her fellow first years are clueless, still blatantly staring at her in awe.

"Hey, Noya-San, don't you think if Kiyoko-san is a cold beauty, Chiaki-san is a warm beauty?" Tanaka whispered quietly to Nishinoya, who stared at Chiaki. The said male nodded with the agreement without moving his gaze that shined with wonder.

"You're the rumored beauty that finally showed up after summer break!" Nishinoya gasps in realization as he points his finger at the female who nearly flinched at the loudness of his voice.

Daichi moved to scold the short male. However, he stops as he notices Chiaki and Nishinoya stare at each other, a puzzled look appearing in their gaze as they simultaneously tilt their heads like a confused puppy.

After a moment, Chiaki nods to herself, realizing why she had recognized the male in front of her. "Oh. You're the one who got the best libero award last year," she offhandedly comments, making Nishinoya beam at her.

"And you're the captain of the girls' team who won in first place last year. Didn't 'cha also get the best server award too? Almost didn't recognize you with your hair dyed," Nishinoya comments brightly, seeming to be proud that he was able to remember who she was. However, a look of confusion appeared on his face as he rubbed at his chin. "But what are you doing here in Karasuno? I had expected someone at your level would go to some prestigious school like Shiratorizawa."

His words make Chiaki freeze, her body growing rigid. This doesn't get unnoticed by the second-years, Sugawara's hand shooting out to smack the back of Nishinoya's head quickly.

Chiaki forces herself to give the boys a weak smile. She turns her head to Daichi, slowly reaching forwards and taking her empty bento bag from the male's hand. "Thank you, Daichi-senpai. I'll head to the restroom before heading to class. I'll see you tomorrow."

While a small part of Daichi wants to argue, worried for his new friend, he doesn't push her. In response, he nods with a smile, muttering a quiet goodbye and watching her hobble off down the hallway.

When he could no longer see her anymore, he swiftly turned around, glaring at the boy who rubbed his head where Sugawara had hit him. "Nishinoya!"

The said boy flinches, looking at his upperclassmen in fear and confusion.

Sugawara shakes his head, his finger pressing into his temple. "You're an idiot, Nishinoya."

Nishinoya releases a yelp as he dodges a smack from Sugawara, "what did I do?!" The libero cries out.

Daichi sighs as he crosses his arm over his chest with a frown spread across his face. "You may have not meant it, but your words hurt Aki-chan, Nishinoya. Volleyball is a really sensitive topic for her."

The dark-haired male's answer makes both Nishinoya and Tanaka tilt their heads, an unmistakable question mark floating on top of their heads. This action only makes an irk mark appear on Daichi's face.

Asahi immediately steps in, a weak laugh leaving his lips, "maa maa. Let's calm down. We can't blame them, not everyone was up to date with the volleyball gossip. I'm not surprised that Tanaka and Nishinoya don't know about it."

"Gossip?"

Sugawara stepped forward, a small frown on his face. "It was on the news for a bit earlier in the year. The incident where a middle school student was run over by a motorcycle that was aiming for her team. Between those who played volleyball, it was called the ' _war in heaven_ ' or ' _the dove hunt_ ' incident."

Nishinoya and Tanaka quickly pursed their lips, finally having a reasonably good idea of who the injured middle school student was, the image of the female in crutches flashing in their mind.

A scowl made it onto Tanaka's face, his eyebrows knitting together, "what kind of stupid names are those anyways? It's extremely _chuunibyou-ish (1)"_

Sugawara pouted as the younger male blatantly made fun of the names. "There are different reasons, but Ibato Chiaki-san had various nicknames as a volleyball player. The two most well know where the Angel or the Dove. I'm sure hearing just that, you understand the reasoning as to why the incident was called ' _the dove hunt_.'"

Both Tanaka and Nishinoya nodded, getting the basic idea. "But what about the other name?" Tanaka questioned in curiosity, the group walking down the hallway, Daichi stopping at the vending machine.

The dark-haired male rolled his eyes as he picked out his drink, angering stabbing his straw into his milk. "It's ridiculous, really. I don't know if you're familiar with Christianity, but someone linked the incident with the religion and whatnot, saying Aki-chan was an angel that had her wings ripped from her. In my opinion, the incident is nothing like the mythology. Like Tanaka said, it really is chuunibyou-ish." Daichi's hand crushed the empty milk carton, his gaze moving to the two boys in a warning. "Either way, if I hear that you two cause any trouble to Aki-Chan..." The male doesn't even have to finish his words as the two boys straighten as they salute to their senpai in fear.

A silence falls over all of them until Nishinoya opens his mouth.

"Well, if she's a fallen angel, shouldn't her new nickname be the 'Devil?'" The libero cheekily comments, earning a smack from both Sugawara and Daichi, who scowled.  
  
  


  
  
  
  
🏐🏐 **2011** , **SEPTEMBER** 🏐🏐

With a heaving chest and drenched shirt, Chiaki laid on the ground, pressing her heated cheek into the cold floor with a groan. The silver-haired female doesn't dare to move a single muscle, her body crying out in strain.

Besides the female, Kouga worriedly fanned his younger sister's body with his hand. Taiga, his older twin brother, went to get her a cold bottle of water.

"Good job, Chi-chan. Today marks the sixth month since your surgery. You're done for today. It looks like you're slowly gaining back function and muscles, which I am very proud about," Minako, who was jolting down her daughter's progress on a clipboard looked up briefly with a smile. "Starting tomorrow, I think we can forgo the crutches. But you're going to have to wear your knee brace all the time except when you take a shower and when you sleep. Just for precaution."

This information makes a smile bloom on the silver-haired teen's face. Mentally she cheers, saying goodbye to the dreadful crutches that have been haunting her for months.

"I don't want to be a killjoy, but don't strain yourself, Chi-chan. While you're mostly healed, I don't want you risking yourself. I say another five months have to pass for me to say you're perfectly healed from your injuries, and there's no worries. And physical therapy is still a must! Don't go running off, although I'm sure you want to," Minako warns, narrowing her eyes at her daughter when she sees Chiaki sheepishly look away from her.

With that, the older woman excused herself, having to go input Chiaki's data into the computer system, leaving her children to go to her office.

With the help of her brother, Chiaki sits up, leaning against Kouga as the male turns the TV on. At that moment, Taiga returns, the glassed male handing the bottle to Chiaki and ruffling her head affectionately.

"Ah, it looks like Shiratorizawa won for Miyagi prefecture again this year," Kouga comments as he runs his hand through his dyed locks of hair.

This makes Taiga chuckle, his eyes narrowing fondly as he watched the local news speak about the ranking of the school. "Coach Washijou must be delighted. That old man still sometimes appears in my nightmare, yelling at me," the brunet shakes his head with a frown.

Neither of the males seems to realize their younger sister had stayed unusually silent. Her grey orbs refusing to look at the TV where the Shiratorizawa team and its cheer squad is televised.

When Chiaki climbs up to her feet, the twins finally realize what they did, their skin paling a few shades. Kouga's lips stretched into a line, his teeth biting into the bottom flesh to stop himself from calling out after Chiaki, who walked off.

"Shit," Kouga curses under his breath, closing his eyes and angrily running his hand through his hair, messing it up.

Taiga has a similar reaction, the male pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose with a frown on his handsome face. "That was insensitive and stupid of us. We should have known it'll upset Chiaki talking about her dream school," the man mumbled in regret.  
  
  


  
  
Chiaki stood under the sharp needles of the shower head water, her skin turning red from heat and irritation. The water pours over her head on high, beating and dripping down her body in steamy rivulets. Like the room, her mind is fogged up, dullness spreading through her body.

Closing her eyes, she sinks down to the floor. The tiles are icy cold, yet she doesn't flinch, too numb to feel anything. Opening her grey eyes, she stares as the enormous pink scar tissue that goes up the length of her knee. While no longer angry red and inflamed like it was right after the surgery, it was still unpleasant to see, a painful reminder of what had happened to her.

Chiaki's trembling fingers traced the scar in loath. An equally large, if not more prominent scar ran down her right hip and upper thigh. That too was healing nicely, the yellow and purple bruising that went down her whole leg from the reconstruction surgery gone for over four months. However, it felt like it was still there, the image of the bruises blooming around the scar imprinted into her mind. Just looking at what remained reminded her of how _hideous_ it looked.

 _Hideous_.

The teen lets tears slip out of her eyes, the salty droplets quickly getting washed off by the water from the shower, going down the drain built on the floor. All proofs of her pain and anger gets washed away. And that only makes the anger inside Chiaki's body to rise, boiling from deep inside of her.

In just a second, it felt like her whole life was stolen away from her. Her dream slipped through her fingers so quickly, and easily, Chiaki didn't know what to do. What can she do now when volleyball wasn't part of her life? What else did she have left? What _worth_ did she have left?

From a young age, her goal was to get into her dream school, Shiratorizawa, graduate, and get into a division one team. She dreamed about going to the Olympics just like how her father had. She had always believed that her adult life would revolve around volleyball, the sports she loved. It was something that was right in front of her. It was something that was promised to her at a young age because of the efforts she made. It was something everyone around her believed would happen.

Yet with the accident, everything that was set up for her had crumpled. The hours of practice, the tears and sweat that was poured, the stinging aches of her hand from practicing spikes, everything was wasted and went down the drain.

In just a _measly_ second.

Chiaki had lost everything she built from plain hard work and dedication. But now she was lost. 

And it _hurt_.

It hurt _so_ fucking bad, she didn't know what to do anymore.

Chiaki finally climbed back up to her shaky legs, shutting the scorching hot water off. Her skin was red, but she paid no mind, wrapping her body in a towel, doing a horrific job of drying herself off and changing into clothes that were free from sweat.

What Chiaki wasn't expecting when she steps out of the locker room was to see her mother leaned against the wall, a cup of coffee in her hand. The older woman stares at her daughter, taking note of her eyes that are rimmed red. She doesn't comment on it. Instead, she just sips out of her cup.

"I told the boys to head home ahead of us. You'll be coming home with me. But before that, Chi-chan, you're gonna learn about basic first-aid."

Chiaki's eyebrows furrowed, not understanding what her mother was trying to do. "I don't think—"

"Chi-chan, you're lost right now, aren't you? The future you had planned isn't something you can achieve anymore, so now you don't know what to do."

Minako's words make the silver-haired girl freeze, shifting on her feet uncomfortably. Minako may have looked soft and gentle, being shorter than her own daughter. But she was blunt to the point where it hurts, often leaving people whiplashed by the gap between her appearance and personality. Chiaki knew her mother didn't mean any harm. Although there's no denying Minako's words was a knife straight to her heart.

Minako released a sigh as she pushed off the wall. "I understand you're still in pain and denial. But there's no point moping around. You should start looking at other things. It doesn't have to be medicine, I just want you looking at options, find something you might be interested in. The basic first-aid certificate is easy, and it can lead up to other opportunities. Your brothers all have it as well. And it's a skill that comes in handy for anyone."

Chiaki doesn't exactly want to. However, seeing the look her mother sends her, she can do nothing but to nod.  
  
  
  
  


  
  
🏐🏐 **2012, MARCH** 🏐🏐

"We look ridiculous," Kouga comments, pulling the onyx face mask he wears higher onto his face. At his words, Chiaki turns to her brother, letting her gaze wander over what he wears.

The female adjusts the white cap that covers her head, pulling down on the visor, "I think you look fine. Very fashionable," she comments, her voice a bit muffled by the cloth of the mask that covers her face.

Kouga rolls his eyes before moving his attention to his twin brother, who was the only one out of them, not wearing a face mask. Instead, Taiga wore a bucket hat that covered most of his brown hair, forgoing his usual black-rimmed glasses with contacts.

"You look fine, Kouga. A lot of people wear face masks during this season anyways," Taiga assured as he held hands with Chiaki. Kouga huffed and took hold of Chiaki's other arm, linking arms with her as the three walked through the crowded stadium.

There was a light skip to Chiaki's steps, the female smiling under her mask. Her girls had done an excellent job, collecting their victories against their opponents. Chiaki could feel her heart swell in pride, especially when she was able to see Maiko do her role as the libero, supporting the team as it's pillar just as Chiaki assumed she would.

She lets her older brothers lead her to the next court scheduled for the last Kitagawa Daiichi game, the three siblings picking a seat at the back of the observation stand where they would be away from curious eyes. Although Chiaki had a feeling that they were failing at it miserably seeing the curious looks they received from some middle schoolers.

She couldn't really blame them, seeing as her brother and her towered over most of them. She had even caught some girls whispering and giggling as they looked at the twins. Chiaki didn't mind as long as she and her brothers weren't noticed by Kitagawa Daiichi middle school, her former school.

Earlier that morning, when Chiaki had told her brothers she wanted them to drive her to the stadium so she could watch the middle school volleyball tournament, they were shocked. They had doubted their ears for a moment, actually asking her to repeat her request again. When they realized they heard her right the first time, they were stumbling, running around the house to get ready to go with her.

Chiaki could tell they were delighted, which actually made her chest twinge, a small ounce of her feeling awful because she knew she had been worrying her family. The twins, on the other hand, were delighted that Chiaki wanted to do something related to volleyball again. Ever since the accident, Chiaki had refused to talk about the sport, and it was the first time she had even talked about something related to it.

So neither males complained as they drove their baby sister to the stadium, the two twenty-one-year-old adults wrapped around the sixteen-year old's finger.

"Who are the boys against next?" Kouga asked as he placed his feet up on the empty seat in front of him, relaxing with his arms thrown up behind his head and stretching out like a cat.

Taiga opened the pamphlet he grabbed when they first walked in, "Yukigaoka Junior High. I've never heard of them before," the brunet comments, pulling his hat a bit up to glance at his sister.

Chiaki hums with her eyes on the court, where it was still empty. "I know the girls' team. But for the boys, I don't think they participated during the time I was in middle school," the silver-haired teen comments, playing with a piece of her dyed hair. Her eyes brighten, sitting up as she sees a group walk in onto the court, her eyes catching sight of her former kouhais.

When she sees Kageyama walks in at the end of the group, she can't help but feel her heart swell. While she can't see well from her position, the raven-haired boy looked taller than the last time she saw him. While Chiaki did think she had a good relationship with everyone in the boys' volleyball team, she admits she had a particular soft spot for Kageyama.

She had often stayed after practice to meet up with the boy, helping him with his volleyball skills. She often spiked the balls he tossed, giving him advice on how to improve them and make them faster and more efficient. If she recalled correctly, that had angered Oikawa greatly, the male leaving snarky comments of how prodigies like them stuck together. Which led to Iwaizumi smacking his best friend, calling him ' _Kusokawa_.'

After a bit, with both teams on the court, the game begins. And it doesn't take long for everyone watching to see it was almost a one-sided match.

"Yikes, I feel bad just watching. The opponent team barely has the experience, huh?" Kouga winces as the Yukigaoka team misses another point.

Taiga silently watches the game while Chiaki also releases a sound as she sucks in a breath. The female can't deny it is almost painful to watch, her heart going out to the opponent team. At the same time, she eyed the Kita-Ichi team in concern, feeling something off.

"There's some kind of tension between the team for Kita-Ichi as well. Or I should say, more so with the team and Tobio-kun," Taiga finally speaks, his eyes narrowing. Hearing her older brother verbally say it, it confirmed what Chiaki was thinking.

Kouga sits up in surprise, squinting his eyes to see what his twin was talking about. But he's quick to give up, knowing both his siblings were more observant than what he was. The silver-haired male almost seemed to lose interest in the game, only watching it with a lazy eye seeing the results already. However, the Ibato siblings all sat up in surprise as one of the boys, an orange-haired male from Yukigaoka, leaped into the air.

" _Holy_ _shi_ —that shrimp has some pairs of legs, although he's short!" Kouga gasps, straightening up to get a better glimpse.

Chiaki bit her lip, her finger tapping against her knee as she watched the said boy leap once more. "His reflex speed is super high as well..."

At her words, the twins turn their heads towards her. They're a bit taken aback, not expecting her to leave input, seeing as she was mostly quiet when watching volleyball games.

"That kid, the boy with orange hair. With proper training that utilizes the talents and skill he has, he would have extreme potential. It's kinda scary," Chiaki comments with a frown, a chill running down her back. She blinks in surprise. _What was that?_

The twins stared at their baby sister in alarm, letting her words sink into their heads. Their gaze shifted back to the court, eyeing the boy she was talking about with narrowed eyes.

If Chiaki said it, they believed it. The brothers and the whole Ibato family knew that their youngest family member had a keen skill of finding the hidden potential in people. Sometimes it was so scary accurate.

In the past, on multiple occasions, Chiaki had just looked at a group of amateur volleyball players and pointed out a few saying they would grow strong. And much to Hiroto, their father's astonishment, they indeed had, many of them climbing up and becoming part of his current team at Schweiden Adler.

To this day, the twins know their father sometimes asks Chiaki for her option when he's recruiting new players for the season.

"I'm going to the restroom before we leave," Chiaki quietly tugged at Taiga's sweater sleeve as the game concluded, Kitagawa Daiichi becoming the winner with 2:0.

The older male looked at her in concern, "want me coming with you?"

Chiaki shakes her head, "it'll be crowded. Wait here with Kouga-nii," she softly speaks before walking off to the nearest restroom. With her hat tugged down, she walked the crowded area, many teams leaving for the day after their games.

A small gasp leaves her mouth as a body hits her from behind, making her lose her balance and fall forward. Her hands and arms instinctively come up to soften her fall. However, before she can land onto the floor, a pair of arms catch her, her face slamming into a warm chest. At the impact, Chiaki's nose smashes into the chest, tears gather at the corner of her eyes with pain.

"Wow, are you okay?"

Chiaki freezes at the familiar voice. She can't help but look up, her gaze meeting with a pair of soft brown eyes. Behind the said man, she recognizes two more faces looking at her in curiosity.

Daichi's lips part in surprise as a pair of droopy grey eyes look at him. Confusion flashed in his eyes, and Chiaki is quick to duck her head down, using the cap she wore to hide her eyes, silently hoping that her face mask hid her features enough.

Mumbling a sorry, she tries to slip away. However, before she can even take a step, her wrist gets engulfed by a giant hand, preventing her from walking away. Daichi has a firm grip on her, staring at her covered face with his eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Aki-chan?"

Before Chiaki could deny it, Daichi reaches forward, swiftly tugging down the black face mask to her chin, revealing her face to his eyes. Chiaki sheepishly smiles as Daichi's eyes brighten, seeming to be pleased he was right.

Chiaki lifts the mask up quickly to hide her lower face again, giving up on leaving without a conversation.

"Huh? Aki-san is here too?" Tanaka gasps, his cheeks turning a rosy pink as he stands next to Daichi. Chiaki briefly gives both Sugawara and Tanaka a nod of greeting, the boys being able to see her eyes squint slightly telling them she was smiling.

The silver-haired female's gaze warily looks around the room, thankful that she didn't see any other familiar faces before turning to Daichi, who looked like he was itching to ask the question.

But it seemed Sugawara beat him to it, the grey-haired male smiling as he stood next to his classmate. "What are you doing here, Aki-chan?"

Chiaki turned to the male she had gotten to know over the last three months. After finding out that she and Daichi often ate lunch together, Sugawara also began to join in. Asahi had too, but in the last few weeks, he hadn't showed up, and Chiaki had a feeling something had happened between them all.

"I'm here with my brothers. I was about to head to the restroom before we head off," Chiaki quickly explains, her voice only a few volumes above a whisper, the three boys only being able to hear her because of how close she was standing to them.

Daichi raised an eyebrow up, sending a look to Chiaki that made her palms a bit sweaty. Chiaki had gotten to know Daichi reasonably well in the last six months. But that was the same for Daichi, he's gotten good at reading the younger girl. And he knew well that if volleyball was related, Chiaki ran away faster than you could say stop.

"You, Aki-chan, came to watch a volleyball game, huh?" Daichi questioned, grinning and showing off his teeth cheekily, much to Chiaki's dismay. The said girl kept her lips pursed as she refused to meet his amused eyes.

Sugawara and Daichi share eye contact with each other, both males grinning. Feeling a bit mischievous, Daichi patted the girl's head. "Yet, you refuse to come to watch us practice, Aki-chan. Are we not good enough for you?"

Chiaki pouts under her mask, but she still refuses to say anything.

"Hey, don't tease her too much, Daichi. Aki-chan loves volleyball, but she doesn't want to admit it because she's shy," Sugawara coos, making Chiaki send him a glare. Sugawara only laughs in response, his eyes twinkling mischievously.

Chiaki doesn't know how to answer, she feels a bit attacked at the moment as her two senpais tease her. She's getting a bit defensive, not liking how they were both able to read her. While Chiaki kept denying her love for the sport, these two seemed to know that wasn't the truth. And instead of tiptoeing around the topic of volleyball like they had when they first met, they've learned that little jabs didn't do too much harm.

With a puff, Chiaki turns to the males, her eyes narrowing. However, a mischievous glint flashes in her soft grey eyes as she thinks of something. "I need to go. I'm making my brothers wait right now, and they might worry if I'm gone for long. Of course, we can keep talking if you want them to come looking for me."

Daichi stiffens, his back straightening subconsciously as he finally lets her go. Inwardly, Chiaki laughs at the second-year's reaction and spin on her heel. But before she can leave, she turns back, the corner of her eyes crinkling as she smiles.

"See you guys at school," Chiaki waves sweetly, leaving one nervous male and two confused boys.  
  
  


  
  
🏐🏐 ** _EXTRA_** 🏐🏐

**CANON**

"Daichi-san, you're kinda pale. Are you okay?" Tanaka questioned, holding back his laugh, his shoulders shaking a bit. Sugawara doesn't bother holding it in, laughing with his whole body as he points to his friend.

Daichi scowls, his shoulder dropping as he ushers his teammates away from the scene with a light blush on his cheeks as they continued to tease him about him being scared of Chiaki's brothers.

"You don't understand," Daichi grumbled as he stopped walking, Sugawara and Tanaka pausing behind him in confusion, almost slamming into his broad back.

The two males flinch as Daichi slowly turns around, his face blank, his eyes looking dead as he stares at them.

"Imagine getting towered and cornered by two older guys who are over 190 cm (6'3 ft) as they mutter warnings to you for ten minutes. Warnings and promises that are extremely graphic if I do something to their little sister..." Daichi's voice was dead as he stared off to space.

Sugawara and Tanaka felt a shiver run down their back, suddenly feeling a chill. Flinching, they looked back as if someone was staring at them. They worriedly glanced at each other as they saw no one else on the street but them.

"Let's go home...." Sugawara whispered, grabbing Daichi's arm, the male mumbled something inaudible to their ears. Tanaka nods his head quickly before following after his senpais.

Silently, the two of them agreed that they didn't want to meet Chiaki's rumored older brothers anytime soon.  
  
  


  
  
"ACHOO!" Chiaki flinches as both Kouga and Taiga simultaneously sneezed at the same time.

Taiga frowned as he rubbed his nose, his hands on the steering wheel of the car. "Oh, that was sudden," he mutters, making sure his eyes didn't move away from the road.

Kouga scowled and shook his head, "I swear, someone was talking about us," the silver-haired male grumbled much to Chiaki's amusement.  
  
  


  
  
  
**Terms:**

Chūnibyō (中二病) is a Japanese colloquial term that translates to "middle two diseases," i.e., "middle-school second-year syndrome" or "eighth-grader syndrome," typically used to describe early teens who have delusions of grandeur, who so desperately want to stand out that they have convinced themselves they have hidden knowledge or secret powers. Creating crazy names and stuff included.  
  
  


  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first I know the timeline and months of the competition are all out of whack. I actually couldn't really work with it so I decided to change it around for the storyline. The Junior High athletics where Hinata and Kageyama meet for the first time should have taken place in June but I just made it near the end of March. So in this book, it happens after the 68th Miyagi Prefecture Championships. So Daichi, Sugawara, and Tanaka are at the Junior High Athletics Meet after loosing and the fight between Nishinoya and Asahi had already happened, which is the reason why those two were absent when the three boys met with Chiaki.
> 
> Also, Chiaki's nickname the Dove comes from her last name, Ibato. In Japanese Kanji, it'll be 衣鳩 the second kanji is "hato" which is a pigeon/dove! Hence her nickname the Dove. However, Ibato is not a very common Japanese last name.
> 
> Thanks for reading and the next update, Chapter 3| Does He Know? is in two weeks, on August 21st!
> 
> We're entering the story line of the anime/manga so be ready to see our favorite cute first years!!
> 
> -Ember
> 
> 8/7/2020


	4. Does He Know?

**Chapter 3**

**Word Count:** 5.8 K

🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐🏐  
  


🏐🏐 _APRIL YEAR 2012_ 🏐🏐

Time seemed to fly quickly.

Chiaki blinked, slowly sitting up in her bed with a yawn, catching sight of the alarm clock on her desk with bleary eyes. Drowsily with heavy feet, she dragged herself out of her room, going through her usual morning routine, brushing her teeth with half-opened eyes. She only felt wide awake after washing her face, the cold tap water stinging against her cheeks' skin.

Looking at herself one last time in the mirror, making sure all of her hair is weaved into her usual braid, she walks down the stairs, getting greeted by the scent of breakfast and her mother and Taiga.

Taiga is the first to notice her, the glassed male smiling as he sips on his mug of coffee, his eyes moving away from the television that broadcasted today's forecast.

"Morning Chi-Chan. Ready for the new year?" Taiga questioned gently, turning the volume of the T.V. down as the silver-haired female took a seat down beside him.

Chiaki nodded in response, picking up her chopsticks and siping on the small bowl of miso soup. Minako peeked out of the kitchen with a smile, checking that Chiaki was seated at the table before bringing a plate of sunny side eggs and sausage.

"Look at you, already a second year in high school. No wonder I'm getting old," Minako coos as she places a hand on her cheek, "in just two more years, my baby is going off to college, and then all my children would be old enough to leave our nest," a look of sadness appears in the older woman's eyes.

Chiaki only smiles at her mother as she continues eating.

"Maybe it'll be earlier than that, Mom. Chiaki _is_ thinking about skipping her third year," Taiga points out, taking a bite out of his bowl of rice, a grilled salted salmon on top.

This makes Minako frown, a concerned look flashing in her grey orbs. "Are you really thinking about it, Chi-chan? It's not very common, but I understand you're academically gifted enough to do it."

Chiaki nods as she puts down her chopstick, "I already talked to my homeroom teacher. He explained to me the risk, and I think that's what I want to do. I feel it would be better if I hurry to university, seeing as I'm capable of doing it. There's really nothing in high school that makes me want to stay an extra year." _Especially when Daichi-senpai and Suga-senpai will be graduating this year. I don't have anyone close enough to stay for._

Minako looks uncertain, but she nods after Taiga shrugs his shoulders. "We'll talk about it more when your father comes back. I'm sure Minato and Kouga would also want to be part of this conversation as well." The older woman paused as she looked at her two sitting children, "talking about Kouga, where is he?"

Taiga rolls his eyes, "still asleep. I tried waking him up when I did, but he wouldn't even budge."

This makes Chiaki chuckle as she collects her empty dish, placing them in the sink before grabbing her bag and bento box from her mother. "I'm heading out, Daichi-senpai and Suga-senpai should be here soon. Also, I'll be coming home late, staying after school to help the infirmary teacher seeing as it's the first day, and kids tend to get a bit rowdy."

Minako and Taiga smile as the youngest Ibato waved as she stepped out of the house. However, with her gone, Minako sighs, sitting down where Chiaki had sat a few moments ago.

"Do you think she's okay? High school experience is very crucial, and I don't really like the idea of her skipping her third year. Don't you think she's been studying too much? That's all she does these days," the woman grumbled, worry evident in her soft eyes.

On the other hand, Taiga doesn't look too concerned, gathering up his own empty dishes, "I'm sure she's fine. We should let her think about it a bit more, and she's been talking a bit more about Sawamura-kun and his friend. They both play volleyball."

This makes Minako blink in surprise, her lips parting a bit. "Volleyball? A-Are you sure? And Chiaki is friends with them?"

The brunet nods at his mother, a faint smile on his lips, "yeah, so maybe something different will happen this school term. It's already been over a year since the incident, something in Chiaki may change a bit."  
  
  


  
  
  
Chiaki hummed to herself as she organized the emergency kit, jolting down anything if they need to be restocked. She recounted the bandages with a frown, making a note on the paper that they only had five rolls left, and ordering some more would be a better idea before they completely ran out.

"Ibato-san, I just got an email from one of the teachers asking about the date for the health education day in a few weeks. I'm going to go talk to him, so you're in charge of here while I'm gone," the middle-aged woman who was the school's nurse calls out, Chiaki nodding in understanding before she's left in the infirmary by herself.

During the last few months of her first year, Chiaki began to work in the infirmary after school when she no longer had therapy sessions with her mother. As her mother said, the first aid certification she received came in handy, and working in the infirmary had replaced the extracurricular activity she needed after school. While she was exempted from sports activity, there weren't any other clubs that drew her attention, which made her gravitate towards being the assistant of the school nurse.

Now a second year, after knowing Chiaki for a few months, the school nurse trusted her well enough to let her be in charge of most injuries if she was too busy to help herself. And Chiaki didn't mind.

Just as Chiaki was closing the emergency packet, the door of the infirmary slammed open, revealing a familiar male she hadn't seen since early in the morning standing with his breathing hard. However, unlike in the morning, the older male looked disheveled, a look of tiredness in his warm brown eyes.

"Daichi-senpai?" Chiaki opens her mouth, standing up in concern and approaching the male who eyed her for a second before looking around the empty room.

"Aki-chan. Is the school nurse not here?" The dark-haired male questioned, his eyes shifting around the room once again.

Chiaki nodded, her hands grabbing the bag she just organized, "she just left the room and left me in charge. What happened?" The silver-haired female questioned, her soft grey eyes slowly becoming filled with concern as Daichi groaned.

The said male sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "We just had a little accident in the gym. The Kyoutou came in to check up on us but got smacked in the face by a volleyball..." Daichi mumbles, looking embarrassed as he spoke. However, he's quick to recover, remembering the reason he came over.

"Uh, Aki-chan, can you-"

Daichi doesn't even have to ask, Chiaki is already gathering up the medical bag, ready to go. The two teens lightly jog through the hallways, Daichi watching the female from the corner of his eyes in concern. His gaze shifts down to the knee brace she wears all of the time. But it seems like his concern isn't really an issue. The silver-haired female looked to be fine as she ran. It was slightly surprising to Daichi, the female almost looking elegant as she jogged beside him.

Chiaki doesn't even blink as she steps into the gym, openly ignoring the people in it and immediately approaching the vice principal who sat on the side. She blinks once when she sees that his wig seemed to be a bit off placed on his head. However, she doesn't comment on it as she pops open an ice bag and hands it to the adult to press into his cheek that seemed a bit reddened. Smoothly she does what she needs, flashing her phone light to the man's eyes, making sure he didn't have a concussion while the volleyball team watched on the sideline with concern.

"Who's that? Is she an upperclassman? She's really pretty!" The silver-haired female decides to brush off the comment she hears, speaking to the Vice Principal who was scowling.

"Kyoutou-sensei, it seems you're fine, but I suggest you keep icing where you were hit. From what I see, you don't seem to have a concussion, but if you do feel dizzy or nauseous, I suggest going to get checked by the doctor," Chiaki softly explains, the man nodding in understanding. The said man sends one last glare at the boys' volleyball team before stomping off, grumbling under his breath.

With him gone, it seemed like everyone in the gym released the breath they were holding, the strength leaving their body. Daichi sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. He reopens them, his brown orbs finding Chiaki's form as she cleans and smiles at her thankfully.

"Aki-chan," he called out, making the tall female turn around, "thanks for helping. I have a feeling if you weren't here, the Kyoutou would have been angrier with us," the third-year sighed, looking tired, although it was only the first day of school.

Chiaki's heart went out for her friend, her hand coming forward to squeeze his larger ones with her own. She then realizes the other boys behind Daichi, her eyes widening a fraction as a face she recognizes stands there.

The said male also stares at her, his eyebrows that furrowed shooting up to get hidden by onyx bangs. His eyes that were narrowed on her widened.

"A-Aki-Senpai?!"

"Tobi-kun!"

Chiaki broke out into a smile that blinded many of them, Tanaka releasing a gasp as he began to pray to Buddha thanking him for the blessing he just got to witness.

Before Kageyama could even blink, the silver-haired girl was in front of him, hugging the younger boy tight.

"A-Aki-senpai...! Y-Your hair!" The dark-haired first year gasped, looking flustered and confused. The redness climbed up his neck to his cheeks at the contact he has with the older girl. And at the same time, he looks conflicted, a mixture of happiness and confusion caused by the reunion of his upperclassmen from middle school.

Chiaki quickly lets the boy go, her hand coming up to ruffle his hair, making a choked sound leave his lips. "Look at you, Tobi-kun! I haven't seen you in a year, and you've grown taller than me! What has your mother been feeding you?" The female can't help the fondness that leaks into her voice as she continued to pet Kageyama as if he was a puppy.

Kageyama allows Chiaki to do as she likes, seeming to be lost at what to do. His own emotions are a jumbled mess. There's no denying he's delighted he got to see Chiaki after a year. However, at the same time, he feels a bit of anger and sadness lurking in the back, knowing that the former female captain of Kitagawa Daiichi VBC had disappeared as if she dropped off the earth's surface after she was released from the hospital.

No one was able to get in contact with her, the little amount of social media she had was deleted, and her LINE account getting deactivated as well. It had greatly upset many of them, but they all accepted it knowing Chiaki needed time to heal.

However, Kageyama never would have thought he'd find the said female here at Karasuno, looking remarkably different from the last time he had seen her. It had actually taken him a minute to even recognize her, the dyed hair of hers completely throwing him off along with the different hairstyles. When he did get to see her face and the distinct droopy grey eyes of hers, it felt like an electric current ran through his body, his brain screaming who she was.

A cough made both teens look away from each other. Kageyama's blush seemed to deepen as he averted eyes with anyone with his lips tugging down into a frown. Chiaki, on the other hand, gave Daichi, who was the one who coughed a sheepish look.

"D-Do you know the first year brat, Aki-san?" Tanaka stuttered, sending a glare at Kageyama, who now scowled at what he was called.

"We went to the same middle school. She was my senpai," Kageyama answers in Chiaki's place, knowing her well enough to know she rather had him doing talking in her place. However, this does not please Tanaka, the male with shaved head giving his well-known delinquent glare at the younger male.

Chiaki openly ignored the sparks that flew between the two boys and looked at Daichi, who watched with Sugawara in silence. The silver-haired male was smiling like his usual self, looking amused with everything while Daichi watched in curiosity, looking between Kageyama and Chiaki.

"I'm going to head back to the infirmary Daichi-senpai, Suga-senpai," Chiaki comments softly, the two boys nodding at her. But as Chiaki grabs the emergency bag to step out of the gym, she gets stopped as a hand grabs her wrist.

She looks up in surprise, her eyes meeting with sharp, dark blue orbs. Kageyama looks conflicted, his mouth opening and closing as his eyes darted around. But eventually, he looks at her, his orbs filled with determination.

"Senpai, I don't have your new LINE ID or phone number."

Chiaki instantly has a look of guilt on her face, her softly colored lips parting. For barely a second, sadness fills her eyes before she quickly hides it. "Here, Tobi-kun." The female doesn't hesitate to pull out her phone, giving the boy her ID, not knowing many of them, excluding Daichi and Sugawara, who had her number already watched in jealousy.

A small, barely visible smile spreads across Kageyama's face as he looks at his phone screen. Looking at his expression, Chiaki feels a twinge in her heart, the guilt not going away.

"Hey, Tobi-kun," the said boy looked up, a single eyebrow raising up in confusion as Chiaki called out to him. "I think I owe you an explanation, and we can catch up. I'll treat you to a snack after I'm done working in the infirmary, how does that sound?" Chiaki spoke quietly so only he could hear.

In response, Kageyama nods, pushing his phone into his gym bag. Seeing this, Chiaki flashes him another smile, looking at the rest of the boys in the gym who tried to listen in to the conversation. Chiaki blinks once, her eyes catching sight of vibrant orange hair. The said boy stares back with his eyes wide, looking flustered as he realized she watched him.

The boy from Yukigaoki...

Chiaki's lips tug up a bit, her eyes narrowing before she nods as if she didn't stare, giving a small wave at Sugawara and Daichi before stepping out of the gym.  
  
  


  
  
  
When she opened the door of the infirmary muttering a goodbye at the nurse, Chiaki didn't expect the tall first year who waited outside.

Chiaki flashes a smile at the boy, Kageyama nodding at her in greeting. Chiaki almost felt amusement as she realized Kageyama hasn't changed much since middle school, seeming to be a bit awkward with his feelings. Without him saying anything and watching him fidget as he walked beside her, Chiaki was able to figure out all the questions Kageyama had for her. It was a struggle to hold in the giggle. However, she also knew she shouldn't be finding amusement in this knowing what she did.

Neither of them says anything, Chiaki leading them down the familiar road she usually takes home, the one where Daichi and Sugawara often join her. Today they don't seeing as she already sent them a text telling them she wasn't going to join them that afternoon. The female stops in front of the familiar store, the one the boys sometimes stop at; Sakanoshita Store. She had never entered it, but Daichi and Sugawara often buy meat buns to eat as they walk home.

The rattle of the door brings a nostalgic feeling that Chiaki can't pinpoint. At the sound of her opening the door, the store clerk looks up, his eyes meeting hers. Immediately Chiaki freezes, the same going to the man behind the counter, the cigarette he had in his mouth dropping.

Kageyama doesn't notice the pause, going straight to the ice cream section peering at the options with childish glee. Chiaki recognizes the look as the same one he wore whenever she offered to treat him back in middle school, and that makes her heart melt.

Chiaki smiles a bit as she realizes the boy's choice of ice cream hasn't changed, picking something milky instead of fruity. When he decides on a bag of chips as well, she motions him to wait outside while she pays.

"Hello. You look a bit like a delinquent now," Chikai comments with a small smile on her face.

The said man grins, picking a piece of his blond strands in amusement as he eyed her. "I can say the same for you, Chibi-chan. But I don't think I can call you that anymore, you're not that small as you used to be," the man chuckles as he rings up what she places in front of him. The man raises an eyebrow as he looks at the school uniform she wears. "Karasuno, huh? Following after Minato's footsteps, I see. How is he by the way? Haven't seen him forever since he went to Tokyo."

"He's doing good. I talked to him yesterday. When he visits next, I'll tell him to come to visit you, Kei-nii-san. I'm sure he'll want to see all his other senpais too," Chiaki promises, thinking about her eldest brother who lived in Tokyo with her father.

This makes the man nod with a grin. "Ou, I'm sure they'll all want to see you too. I bet if I told them I got to see our former number one cheerleader, they'd throw a fit," the man threw his head back and laughed, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Stop by anytime, I'll treat you sometimes," the man grinned as he took a drag from the cigarette.

This makes Chiaki nod, saying a quick goodbye and stepping outside. With fast reflexes, Kageyama catches the ice cream she throws at him with one hand, the boy mutters a low thankful as he opens it.

"Let's go to the park where we can talk," Chiaki suggested, taking out her own popsicle to eat. They reach the park near Chaiki's house, the female immediately taking a seat on the swing. Kageyama already finished his own icy treat, holding the bag of chips. However, he doesn't move to immediately open it, leaning against a metal rail in front of the swings. Chiaki doesn't say anything under his piercing gaze, silently finishing her treat, nibbling on the wooden stick

"Aki-senpai," the male finally speaks, seeming to desperately want the answers to his questions.

Chiaki sighed as she kicked out her leg as she began to swing lightly, "when you guys all visited, I already knew that my volleyball career had ended."

The female's words make Kageyama suck in a breath, his eyes widening in disbelief.

"B-But, when we visited the first time, you said you were going to do reconstruction surgery."

Chiaki had a bitter smile on her face as she nodded, "reconstruction surgery so I can walk and live normally. But I have bolts in my bones Tobi-kun. While I could play volleyball, I won't have the same strength and ability to play like I used to. Some positions would cause too much strain for me and could cause me to injure myself again. Even if I was healed a hundred percent, with the metals in my body, I probably can't even squat low enough to receive low tosses."

Kageyama seemed to be at a loss for words, looking absolutely shocked at the information Chiaki revealed to him. "I-I didn't know.... I—"

" _I_ made sure you and everyone else didn't know. If you guys did, you would blame yourselves, right? Especially Maiko, she was already a mess," Chiaki comments as she kicks her foot out, thinking about her team libero. Quietly, Chiaki stopped the swing, slowly climbing up to her feet. Kageyama's eyes widened as the girl suddenly bowed to him.

"I'm sorry, Tobi-kun. It was selfish of me to cut off contact with all of you. While I want to say I did it so you guys won't find out and feel guilty, I know it was because I was secretly extremely bitter. I—" Chiaki pauses as she lifts her head back up, looking straight into the boy's eyes, "I wasn't in a good place mentally. I had a lot of anger and sadness. I was devastated that my dream was ripped away from me. An awful part of me regretted the action I took to save Maiko. And when I realized that, I felt ashamed, and I knew I couldn't see you all again. But nonetheless, it was wrong for me to suddenly disappear on all of you without an explanation when you were all concerned for me. And for that, I'm very sorry, and I hope you can forgive me."

Kageyama blinked, silently surprised. First, he doesn't think he has ever heard her speak this much without stopping, the female is usually more of a silent person. And second, he was shocked by the apology he was receiving.

"A-Aki-senpai, I don't think you need to apologize..." The dark-haired male spoke, seeming to be thinking of his words as he spoke. "I'm not gonna deny, I think a lot of us were hurt that you suddenly disappeared. We all looked up to you, even the boys' team. A-And I know I'm an idiot and couldn't really understand my team most of the times, but I know everyone was thankful to you, senpai. And, I think we all understand that you needed space... At least that's for me. So I don't want you apologizing to me, Aki-senpai. I-uh, I hope I'm making sense, but uh," Kageyama stuttered, slowly growing flustered and seeming to grown confused the longer he spoke.

Chiaki watched him with her eyes widened a small fraction. She felt the back of her eyes stinging, but she pushed them back, smiling at the boy gently as she approached him, her arms wrapping around his chest. While hesitant, Kageyama returned the hug, his cheeks flushing. A small part of him felt pride, realizing he was indeed taller than the female, silently thinking back to middle school when he wasn't.

"Thanks, Tobi-kun...." Chiaki finally let go, smiling at the male who blushed and nodded.

"But," Kageyama stopped, his eyes scrutinizing the older girl with curiosity he couldn't hide. "D-Did Iwaizumi-san know...? Does he know...? I heard from Kunimi that you were uh-"

This makes Chiaki freeze, thinking about a certain male that made her heart twinge. "Hajime-senpai knew about the outcome of the accident. B-But, like the rest, I cut him off too."

The two fall silent, fear washing over them before a faraway look appears in their eyes.

"Aki-senpai, I really hope you don't see Iwaizumi-san anytime soon..." Kageyama comments, sending a look of pity to the girl who seemed to be a few shades paler than earlier realizing how right her kouhai was. Chiaki only nods in response, silently agreeing to him, subconsciously taking his hand and squeezing it to calm herself.

Kageyama doesn't pull away, his eyes softening as he suddenly recalls Chiaki's personality of wanting to hold hands when she's anxious. That job belonged to Iwaizumi or Kanoka when they were in middle school. But after Iwaizumi graduated with the other third years and Kanoka wasn't there with her, it was Kageyama's hand she would grab. And if he wasn't there, she'd grab Kunimi. The setter could remember his and Kunimi's bewilderment when she had grabbed them and refused to let go before a tournament.

Kageyama walked Chiaki home, the sky already turned dark, the streetlamps turned on. He imputed her new address into his mind, knowing she had moved after middle school, seeing as he had heard some of his teammates say that when they tried to visit her after her disappearance.

As he walked home, he felt his heart go out to the older girl. A part of him also felt devastated, knowing the raw talent Chiaki withheld in herself. He had witnessed and experienced it first-hand numerous times. In his mind, Chiaki was always someone to look up to, one of the most talented players he has seen in middle school. The female was the one person who was always capable of spiking the balls he set. And when he realized that was no longer possible, he felt his heart sink.

Everyone at Kitagawa Daiichi acknowledged her talent, and people even out of the prefecture knew about her. And at a young age of thirteen, she was the number one female left-wing spiker and server in Japan's middle school. Some professional volleyball critics even claimed that if she was included in with the high school girls, she would have still been number one.

But to know a talent like that was lost because of a deliberate accident caused by jealousy, anger bubbled in Kageyama's stomach.

"I don't know what I would do if that happened to me," he mutters to himself in the empty street, his heart sinking.  
  
  


  
  
  
There were two people Chiaki was close to in high school. Maybe three now that Kageyama had enrolled, But before she knew that, it was two. Both Daichi and Sugawara had become part of her life, the two boys adding her into the group chat they had, and sometimes going out on the weekend to hang out.

They were her friends. So it wasn't too strange for them to show up to her classroom on the second floor to come see her. But the scene in front of her was definitely strange, the female nearly dropping her lunch box bag to the floor.

Everyone else, her classmates, and the second years in the hallway stared as the two third-years bowed their heads, their hips bent at ninety degrees.

"S-Senpai, what is this about...?" Chiaki questioned in a slight panic, her eyes darting to the bowing boys and the other second years who watched the particular scene. Seeing all the attention they were gathering, Chiaki made both males stand up, grabbing their hands and dragging them away where there were less prying eyes.

Standing on the staircase that led to a dead-end, Chiaki turned to the two third-years with a frown on her face. She stared at them, both Daichi and Sugawara looking a bit sheepish and had the decency to look apologetic for causing a scene in front of her fellow second years.

Chiaki sighed, the female rubbing her temple before eyeing them in question, "can you please explain why you two decided to bow to me in front of all those people?" she questioned, her voice returned to the usual softness.

Daichi and Sugawara turned to each other before nodding and bowing again. "Aki-chan, please be our manager!" They chorused with their heads down.

Chiaki blinked, taken aback, not expecting such a request from her two friends. It definitely wasn't something she thought they would ask from her.

"Right now, our team doesn't have a proper coach. Shimizu and I are trying our best, but with just us, there's a limit to what we can do, and we still need a lot of things we need to get accomplished. Suga has been helping out too, but it's not enough. And being third years, we only have this year left," the dark-haired male spoke with his head continued to be down.

"Kageyama mentioned that during middle school, you were really good at teaching and helping players improve. He mentioned you had the eyes to figure out what a person has to do to become a better volleyball player, and that is exactly what we need in our team, seeing as we don't have a coach right now," Sugawara spoke finally looking up. Daichi did the same, the two males staring at her with determined eyes.

"Please join the volleyball team!"

"No, thank you."

Daichi and Sugawara's mouths fell open at the immediate answer they received from the silver-haired female. She didn't even hesitate to give them her reply.

Silently, Chiaki was thinking she had to scold Kageyama the next time she sees him, already imagining the guilty look that would appear on the younger boy's face.

"I don't think I'll be able to contribute to the volleyball team. And earlier you said this is your last year because you're in your third year. I have plans on graduating after this year too. I'm scheduled to take the exam to get exempted for the last year of high school. If that's the case, it wouldn't be fair to just stay in the club for just one year. And I'm sure that's not the kind of manager Shimizu-san is looking to help her."

At the information Chiaki revealed, the males seemed stunned, probably not expecting her to say she was planning on graduating at the same time as them.

"So, I'm sorry. I'm going to have to decline your request," Chiaki politely stated as she bowed to them.

Not thinking they were going to get a bow in response, Daichi's mouth was opening and closing, no words leaving them.

_"And I don't like volleyball anymore."_

Daichi and Sugawara froze, staring at the female who said the last statement with the coldest way they heard her speak. They stared at the silvernette, trying to read her expression, but it seemed her usually warm grey orbs were blank.

"Aki-chan," Chiaki turned her attention to Daichi who had a stern look on his face, Chiaki wanted to shrink away as his usually warm brown eyes stared at her as if he could read what was on her mind. "Don't lie."

Chiaki inwardly bristles at his words, but she keeps her cool as she smiled like she usually does. "How would you know I'm lying Daichi-senpai. I dislike volleyball now, I think _I_ understand _my_ emotions the best seeing as they're my own."

Sugawara swallowed, feeling the tension in the air. The silver-haired male looked between his two friends before stepping in between the staring contest they were having.

"Aki-chan, we want you as our manager no matter what. Just getting refused once isn't going to stop us, to be very honest. So why don't you just come to see our practice once? Actually, we're having a match between the first years on Saturday morning. If Kageyama and Hinata don't win, Kageyama won't be the setter for the team, so maybe you'll want to see this."

This makes Chiaki raise an eyebrow in surprise, mentally noting to give the said boy a text later to ask what's going on. _Tobi-kun not being setter...?_

Before Chaiki could argue and say no, Sugawara grabbed Daichi's arm, "okay, we'll come to pick you up at your house bright and early tomorrow morning before the match! So you better be awake!" The silver-haired boy sang as she dragged Daichi with him, the said male still refusing to look away from Chiaki.

Chiaki was left in the empty staircase in disbelief, not believing the male had easily decided how her Saturday was going to be spent without her agreeing. With a sigh, she pinched the bridge of her nose before carefully making her way down the stairs, hoping she had enough time to eat her lunch before her next lecture.  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐 🏐 **EXTRA / FUN FACT** 🏐🏐

*when Chiaki was still a brunette in middle school, her hair was up to her lower part of her neck, barely reaching her collar bone. Her usual hairstyle consisted of her putting it into a small ponytail that wasn't too high because of her short hair. 

*In High School, first-year, her hair is up to her upper breast and the second year, her hair has grown passed her breasts. She usually styles it in a braid. But it's a complex braid where it starts from the right side of her head, a loose dutchbraid that goes all the way to her left side. and then all the rest of her hair that isn't in that braid gets collected together and placed in one single large braid that is on her left side.

*She learned how to do this hairstyle by Miwa, Kageyama's older sister.

*some may have noticed but the twins, Taiga and Kouga have different hair colors. This is because Kouga who was originally brunet dyed it when Chiaki did, not wanting her to do everything by herself. He wanted his little sister to know she's never alone. He even went to get his ears pierced with her although he's absolutely terrified with needles. All for his love and support to Chiaki. But secretly he's really happy that Chiaki's lobe piercings and his own lobe ear piercing are matching. He also knows Taiga is secretly jealous.

*Every month, on the last Sunday of the month, Chiaki and Kouga go get their hair done at Miwa's place and afterward go on a sibling date where they go cafe hopping. 

*Kageyama had no idea that Chiaki had kept contact with his older sister. When he finds out when walking back home with Chiaki, he sends an angry, betrayed text to his sister which Miwa ignores. Which only angers the younger Kageyama even more.

*Kageyama mentioned it but Chiaki has a cute tendency of wanting to hold hands whenever she feels nervous. Being the youngest and only female child in the Ibato household, Chiaki was pretty spoiled with skin contact. She had always had someone next to her, either holding her hand, hugging her, or carrying her (only when she was little) Now holding hands is normal for her. She craves skin contact, and she's been doing fairly well hiding it in high school. But, Daichi and Sugawara have been catching on recently. They noticed how she stands fairly close to them when they hang out, shoulders touching when they eat. Sugawara also has seen her reach out for Daichi or his hand multiple times, before freezing as she realizes what she was about to do.  
  
  


🏐 🏐 TERMS:🏐🏐

Kyoutou- Vice Principal in Japanese  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To celebrate the reunion of Kageyama and Chiaki, here's an art work done by me!
> 
> Also, let's talk about Japanese schooling a bit. So it is extremely uncommon for students to skip grades in Japan, no matter how advance you are. I don't think it's even possible in middle school. But in high school, under special circumstances you are allowed to skip your third and last year. However, there's a draw back. You won't receive your diploma unless you've finish your schooling in college. So if for some reason, you decided to skip your third year and immediately go to college/university but end up dropping out during your education, it means not only will you not get the credit for the higher education, you won't even get your high school diploma.
> 
> I think they do this to try to convince students not to skip the last year of schooling because the country believes school is not only for education but also to learn and build the student's identity.
> 
> Anyhow, that's what Chiaki is planning on doing!!
> 
> Also, guys!! The recent teaser, not gonna lie, I'm a pretty damn big fan of Inarizaki high school so it kinda killed me!
> 
> So between the Japanese fan, we all thought that Suna Rintarou spoke Japanese with no kansai dialect and more so like someone from the Tokyo area because of his wording choice in the manga. Example: kansai「ええよ」vs tokyo「いいよ」
> 
> But than BAAAM, the teaser where Suna briefly spoke, the intonation was obviously in Kansai dialect so the Japanese HQ fandom was in chaos, cause whaaaat?! We have been lied to! And all these people were debating and starting make fan art where they drew Suna clowning us, either way, it's not completely revealed how he speaks so we have to wait for the anime to come out but ahhh! God, the voice actor seiyuu in Haikyuu is like 10/10, so high level with so many famous people... ugh, I'll probably end up dead by the end of the season.
> 
> Also, I follow this person on twitter called sayone_ and she shared a line drawing where we could color it and I had to do it before school starts and I wanted to share it here!
> 
> Spoiler alert!!! Couldn't decided the uniforms so I picked both...! \\(//∇//)\
> 
> Next update chapter 4| The King and The Dove will be on 9/4/2020!!
> 
> -Ember


	5. The King and The Dove

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 5.5 K

🏐 🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐 🏐

A finger presses into the doorbell of the house, the sound echoing through the building. The person who pressed the doorbell, Sugawara, had a closed-eyed smile on his face, humming to himself as he stood in front of the door. Behind him, Daichi stood in his black jersey, a look of unease on his face, refusing to come closer to the door.

The captain of the boys' Karasuno volleyball club nearly flinched as the door slowly opened. However, his shoulder relaxed as a silver-haired female opened it.

However, the smile dropped off Sugawara's face as he and Daichi both winced as they took a look at the female who stared at them coolly. Usually, Chiaki had a soft smile on her face, having the look of gentleness coating around her. But today, her usually placid personality seemed to be replaced with a mild hostility as she glared at the two males in front of her house.

"You two actually came," Chiaki icily comments as she fully opened the door, placing her hand on her hip, her chin slightly lifted as if she was looking down at them.

Both Sugawara and Daichi gulped, suddenly feeling a bead of sweat go down their back, although the morning breeze was reasonably cool.

"G-Good morning, Aki-chan," Sugawara greeted, his face twitching a bit as he forced himself to smile.

Chiaki doesn't respond, just staring at them, a silence falling over them. At every second that passes, the boys become even more uncomfortable, stifling the urge to run away at the dark aura that leaks out of the female in front of them.

Eventually, a sigh leaves Chiaki's lips, her shoulders slumping, and the displeasure that hovered over her seemed to disperse. The silver-haired female grabs the purse behind her and closes the door.

At that moment, Daichi realizes that the female was wearing outdoor clothes that consists of simple jeans and a white cropped shirt instead of her pajamas. Even her hair is styled to her usual braid, although it was seven in the morning. Sugawara also notices this as well, both males suddenly feeling touched as they realized that their female friend had actually gotten ready to meet up with them although she didn't want to.

A smile spreads across both males' faces, which Chiaki decides to ignore as she sees them looking at her. Refusing to make eye contact, she follows after them, although she was inwardly upset. Sugawara and Daichi share eye contact, it takes everything in their power to hold in an amused snicker when they feel a tug at the back of their jacket. Chiaki pouts but holds onto the end of their coat as she realizes they walked a bit too fast.

"Chiaki-san, are you mad at us?" Sugawara stretched out her full name, even using the honorifics as he teasingly asked. He moved his head to peek behind in, but before he could, Chiaki let go of his jackets and forced him to look forward.

"Shut up, don't look back, Suga-senpai. I'm angry," Chiaki grumbles. However, little did she know that she barely sounded angry, which made Daichi snort a laugh, quickly covering his mouth with his hand to mask it. 

It seemed like Chiaki's mood seemed to get better as they arrived on campus, the silver-haired female still having a tight grip on her older friends' jackets, forcing them to walk in front of her without looking back.

Going to the gym, a small crowd was already formed outside, waiting for Daichi to open the door. However, a palpable tension could be felt between the first years, Kageyama and Hinata glaring at a tall glassed male.

"Captain good morning!" Hinata was the first to notice the presence of his senpais, beaming brightly as he waved his arm over his head in greeting.

"Ōu, good morning. Wait, a second, let me open the gym for us," Daichi greeted, going through his bag looking for the gym key. As he does this, Chiaki gets revealed standing behind Sugawara and Daichi, all of their eyes zoning on her.

Tanaka seemed to freeze, his cheeks flushing. "A-Aki-san!"

Chiaki smiles lightly, making the male with shaved hair release a choke like sound, his face melting into a blessed look getting acknowledged. Chiaki quickly moves away from the two third-years she was behind, trotting her way to Kageyama.

"Ōus," the dark-haired male greets her. Next to him, the orange-haired boy seemed to grow flustered, not knowing how to react as the female approached them. _S-She's so pretty! And s-shes coming our way...!_

"Mm, morning Tobi-kun," Chiaki nearly coos as she dived headfirst into his chest, hugging the younger boy while the mouth of the others fell open, a silent scream leaving their lips. Everyone seemed to fall into more chaos as the boy casually hugged her back, not looking too taken aback as she squeezed him.

Hinata openly pointed his index finger at the taller boy accusingly, "y-you! I lost all respect for you, Kageyama! Who cares if you're an awesome setter! Let the pretty senpai go, you indecent, shameless guy!" The boy with bright hair stuttered, jumping up and down.

Beside him, Tanaka bit into a handkerchief as he cried, "h-how dare he casually hugs Aki-senpai, our years' goddess! Kageyama.... Kageyama, I will not forgive you!"

At the commotion, Chiaki pulls away from the younger boy she hugged. She eyed Hinata for a moment, making the said boy quickly shut up and flinch away, his cheeks flushing a bright pink under her attention. "I-I..."

"I saw you last year playing Tobi-kun. What's your name?" Chiaki questioned, letting go of Kageyama as she looked at the shorter boy with a kind smile. The female ignores the heated look given to her by the boy beside her, already being able to tell Kageyama wanted to question the statement she just made. It seemed like she forgot to mention that she had seen his game last year against Yukigaoka.

Hinata straightened his back and saluted, "H-Hinata Shōyō, year one, class one, ma'am!"

Chiaki hummed, immediately taking a liking to the boy's bright but genuine smile, "Hinata-kun, ne? I was very impressed by your spirit and jumping ability last year. If you polish your skills, I have a feeling you can get far," Hinata didn't notice the gleam that entered the silver-haired female's eyes, already distracted, feeling touched at what she said.

On the other hand, Kageyama seemed shocked by her words, his eyes widening a fraction before narrowing on the shorter boy who was bouncing on the heel of his feet in excitement. 

"I'm Ibato Chiaki, a second-year student in class five. It's nice to meet you, Hinata-kun," Chiaki smiled and couldn't help but reach forward, her hand sinking on top of Hinata's head and patting him. _Oh, it's surprisingly soft._ She thinks as she touches the messy locks, not seeing how the boy seemed to blow a fuse, going scarlet.

Sugawara sweatdropped as a shaky laugh left his mouth, witnessing the destruction capability Chiaki had with a simple touch. Silently, he thought about how fearful she was without even trying.

By this time, Daichi had opened the gym, the boys preparing the match as they set up the net. Others began to warm up, making sure their muscles were loose enough for the game. Silently, Chiaki watched. However, at one point, she noticed the blond-haired boy who was taller than all of them eyeing her from across the gym. He seemed to realize she had seen him as well. She didn't expect him to flash a condescending smile that immediately rubbed her in the wrong way.

She kept her face neutrally friendly as he slowly approached her with his hands in his black shorts. "Heh, I never would have thought _the Dove_ would be at a school like ours that's not really well known. Nee, what are you doing here? The media were looking for you, Ibato-san. Or would you rather me call you by your court name?"

Chiaki isn't going to lie. She never would have imagined the boy in front of her to pick a fight straight off the bat. He didn't even bother hiding his intentions, staring down at her with his amber eyes. At the same time, she could pick up the similar scent of mischief and manipulativeness her older brother Taiga carried on this boy. Wicked and scheming. And a bit like her too.

"Hm, really? One of my brothers is an alumnus from Karasuno, so I knew it was a fairly good school for someone like me. What is your name, are you a first-year?" The silver-haired female questioned, smiling and not looking a bit bothered by the taunt the taller boy had sent her.

This seemed to be not the response the blond was hoping for, his mouth tilting down, his eyes flashing with disappointment Chiaki didn't miss.

"Tsukishima Kei, first year," Tsukishima mumbled, looking away from her. Hearing the name, a familiar face popped up in her mind, recalling an individual's name from her memories.

She hummed, her lips twitching into a smile as she let out a thoughtful sound, "Tsukishima? I knew a Tsukishima who went to Karasuno. He was part of the volleyball club when my brother was the assistant coach for a couple of years. Tsukishima Akiteru-san if I remember correctly. He wasn't playing in official matches but practiced a lot," Chiaki comments, watching the male stiffen in front of her. _Ah, hit a sensitive topic. Bingo, I guess._

Chiaki wasn't lying. When Minato went to Karasuno, nearly every day, she'd run over from her own VBC practice to come to watch her brother practice as she sat on the coach's lap. Everyone on the volleyball club knew her as Minato's baby sister, who loves volleyball, and in return, she knew all of their names. Even when Minato graduated high school, she visited when she had time seeing as he became the coach assistant.

Minato had returned to Karasuno a year after graduating at the request of Coach Ukai, helping him until year 2010 when he moved to Tokyo because of a new job offer. And with her keen memory, she can distinctly remember Tsukishima Akiteru, a boy who wasn't part of the starters or bench but a player who practiced very hard although he couldn't stand on the courts.

Tsukishima felt a shiver run down his back as he saw the glint in Chiaki's eyes, the female smiling at him. _Which idiot started calling her the Dove? More like a snake..._ Tsukishima thinks, looking away from Chiaki.

Chiaki holds herself back from snickering and making her way to Sugawara and Shimizu, leaving behind the tense blond male. The silver-haired male greeted her with a beam, the boy throwing a friendly arm over her shoulder testingly. When Chiaki doesn't brush away, not even seeming to be taken aback, Sugawara mentally confirms his suspicion of Chiaki not being as aloof as he first thought. He had first had his suspicions when he started to eat lunch with her and Daichi. But when he saw the interaction she had with Kageyama, he really began to think about it. _Aki-chan is a dere-dere hiding under a kuu-dere mask!_ The silver-haired male thinks as he grins.

Shimizu watches this with an eyebrow raised, before pinching Sugawara's hand, making the said boy flinch and look at the glassed manager in shock and hurt. The female ignores him and nods in greeting at the younger girl. Chiaki smiles too, being acquainted with the third-year beauty through Sugawara and Daichi. She met Shimizu when the VBC manager came looking for Daichi to give him some paperwork for the club when Chiaki was eating lunch with him.

"Alright!" At Daichi's loud voice, everyone's attention went to the third-year captain, "let's get started! I'll be joining Tsukishima's group so-"

The male can't finish his statement as Hinata speaks up, looking flustered, "eh?! You're playing too, captain?!"

This makes a laugh leave Daichi's lips as he waved a hand to calm down the bright-haired boy who was growing panicked. "It's fine! As far as offensive power, Tanaka's much better than me!"

This makes Chiaki curious, her eyes moving over the six people who were going to play. It also makes the silver-haired teen realize she has never seen her friends play volleyball while knowing them for over a year. But she can only blame herself, knowing she had always declined the invitation sent to her by Daichi and Sugawara.

Somebody coughs, and Chiaki and the other's eyes automatically go to the tall glassed blond. "Now, who should we crus-I mean block first? The short one or Tanaka-san?" The male makes a motion of covering his mouth with his hand, but he was nowhere close to whispering, "oh, and I really want to see the King lose."

Chiaki hums and looks at the female who stands next to her, "Shimizu-san, is Tsukishima-kun a middle blocker?"

The black-haired female seemed surprised Chiaki spoke to her but nodded, her hands holding a clipboard for note-taking during the game.

The information makes Chiaki think about her own brother, Taiga, another middle blocker. _I wonder if being sardonic and taunting is part of being a middle blocker...?_ While Taiga was never like that to her, she had witnessed her brown-haired brother mock and rile the opponent team multiple times with a sweet smile on his face. While that personality was mainly for when he was on the courts, he could be quite manipulative outside it too.

Kouga wasn't like that. He let his twin brother handle the taunting and breaking down the mentality of the opponent. Instead, he was a powerful middle blocker that took advantage of his leg's strength, following his twin's instruction and plans.

Chiaki hums as she slowly approaches Kageyama, quietly grabbing his hand and squeezing it. He flinches, surprised at the touch, but immediately, a feel of nostalgia washes over him. It was a subtle action the older female always took when they were in middle school before a match. Kageyama wasn't the only person on the receiving end of Chiaki's magic touch. It was actually well known between Kitagawa Daiichi's volleyball team. 

Before a game, the female would go around both her team and the boys, squeezing each of their hands twice, as if it was a good luck charm. And secretly, it was rumored to be exactly that. Someone even said that they once missed the opportunity, going to the restroom during Chiaki's ritual. And when the game began, they claimed they didn't feel like they were playing their best. Kageyama could remember even Oikawa not refusing Chiaki's hand squeeze, although he openly didn't get along with her.

"Good luck, Tobi-kun. I know you can do it," Chiaki calmly whispered before taking her place beside Shimizu, deciding to help with the scorekeeping.  
  
  


  
  
  
Chiaki released a low hum that could barely be heard, her keen eyes narrowed on the court. She watches as Hinata is blocked again by Tsukishima. The way Hinata was able to jump was impressive for his height. However, Chiaki couldn't deny Tsukishima did his job as a middle blocker with his height. And from where she's at, she could see that the blond also seemed to have a talent of riling his opponent with condescending comments that irritated them.

Chiaki's eyes moved to her older friend on the court, watching as Daichi was able to receive Kageyama's spike without much trouble. She's nodding to herself, impressed at his ability. Daichi isn't bad either, and that makes her smile with pride even if it wasn't her achievement.

"C'mon, your highness! Shouldn't you start getting serious soon?" Tsukishima taunts, smiling down at the dark-haired setter who's unusually silent. This makes Hinata scowl, glaring at the taller blond.

"What the heck with you! You've been an ass like this since we met! What's with calling Kageyama the King or whatever!" Hinata snaps, stomping his way up to the net to get closer to Tsukishima.

In response, Tsukishima smirks, pointing a mocking finger at Kageyama, who watched. "Do you know the reason why this guy was called ' _the King_ '?"

The silver-haired female's eyes shifted to Kageyama with worry. When reunited, Chiaki didn't bring up their past year. But rumors had reached Chiaki's ears as well. And a small part of her felt guilty.

Hinata has a look of confusion on his face as his eyes briefly shift to his teammate, who stays silent. "Isn't it because he's crazy good and the guys from the opponent teams are scared of him?"

This makes Tsukishima release a laugh that doesn't seem genuine. "There may be people who think that. But," the glassed male paused, his lips curving up as a dark smile takes over his expression, "rumor says, the nickname 'The King Of The Court' was given to him by his teammates. It means a selfish, egotistical king. A tyrannical dictator."

"Hey, why are you yapping instead of playing?"

Everyone was surprised by the feminine voice, their eyes turning to where the scoreboard was. Sugawara and Daichi felt their eyes widen as they took in Chiaki's expression. While she had a smile on her face, it made their soul shiver, and they, themselves didn't understand why.

Chiaki's eyes were zoned on the blond-haired male who seemed equally as taken aback that she spoke up, "all you're doing is bringing up the past. Tobi-kun has his faults too, but there's no denying it. His ability as a setter isn't questionable, he has raw talent. He's still at the learning stage where he can improve and change to help his teammates. Some people can hit his sets, and maybe his middle school teammates just weren't that."

Tsukishima snorted, seeming to recover from his shock as he sent a mocking smile to the female. "Oh, are you saying commoners like us don't have the ability to hit his sets? Perhaps, being _The Dove,_ you're trying to stand up to your fellow genius? If that's the case, why don't you show us the quick strike? You can do it, right? Or," Tsukishima paused as his eyes moved down. His gaze shifts down, going to her knee covered by a black brace over her jeans. "The Dove can't jump anymore? Is the rumor of The Dove with ripped wings true, then?"

Chiaki stared at Tsukishima, a smile still on her face. She continued to stare, and with each passing second, the younger boy slowly became uncomfortable until he finally looked away. At this, Chiaki released a silent scoff, her expression breaking for a split second, actually showing her displeasure.

Daichi and Sugawara watched their friend in concern, being able to recognize the hurt that flashed in her eyes for a brief second. They would have missed it if they weren't looking at her.

Tsukishima seemed to gain the confidence again, seeming to know that he shouldn't keep mouthing off his senpai, turning his attention back to Kageyama, who stood with his hand clenched. "Anyhow, you can't use your quick-strike anymore because that decisive match where you were benched left you scared, right?"

It seemed Tanaka also had enough, his sharp gaze glaring at the blond, his eyebrows furrowing together in annoyance. "You've been mouthing off for a while now, you bastard. Even bad-mouthing Aki-san, you have the ner-"

"Tanaka," a single call from Daichi and a warning look from his captain made the male with shaved head shut up, his glare still sent towards Tsukishima, who smiled.

The awkward tension in the gym was stifling. However, one teen broke it.

"Yeah, that's right. Tossing the ball up only for no one to be there behind me frightens me down to my soul," Kageyama spoke. And Chiaki felt a small part of her heartbreak at the look on the younger boy's face. 

"Eh? But that's the story of junior high, isn't it?"

A loud, clear voice questioned, making everyone's attention shift to a certain boy with bright orange hair. Chiaki blinked, Kageyama having a similar expression on his face as he looked at the smaller boy. "Since you toss the ball to me properly and all, that stuff doesn't really matter to me."

Chiaki felt her lips part in awe as Hinata pointed a finger at Tsukishima, not looking a bit bothered by anything he had heard in the last few minutes, "the problem is how we're gonna knock you down right now."

This makes many of them laugh or stifle a laugh. Even Kageyama seemed to be taken aback at Hinata's simplicity, the said male bounding to him energetically while pointing at the opponent blond.

"We're gonna win against Tsukishima and start club activities for real! And you'll be a setter fair and square! So then you can toss it to me! Is there anything else to it?" Hinata questioned, stepping closer to Kageyama, who staggered back and looked as if he didn't know how to respond to the ginger.

The game recommences, the ball getting tossed into the air. Chiaki's sharp eyes follow the ball as well as the players on the court, finding the areas of empty spaces, a habit she had because of her former status as a wing spiker. It must be the same for Kageyama, the male tossing the ball to his teammates who spiked. The silver-haired female doesn't show it but she's slightly surprised as Kageyama and Hinata are able to do quick sets, although they've only known each other for a few days.

"He's really amazing...." Sugawara comments as he comes next to her, standing beside her, their shoulders touching each other.

Chiaki nods in response, however as the game continues, she winces every time Hinata misses the ball, his palm hitting the air. She could barely look as Hinata and Kageyama argue with each other. However, her attention moves to the older boy beside her as he picked up the ball that rolled to his feet.

"Kageyama," at his name being called, the raven-haired boy looks at Sugawara, surprise written all over his face. "This is the same way you acted in junior high," Sugawara sighs, his lips pulling down into a frown. The teen looks like he's about to say something more, however, the silver-haired male flinches as Kageyama looks at him.

The said male doesn't seem to notice as he speaks to his senpai, a look of confusion and distraught on his face, "Hinata excels in mobility, reflexes, and speed. And in addition, he has jumping power... Doesn't that mean, if he gets used to it, he could even pull off a quick attack...?"

Chiaki crosses her arms over her chest as she cocks her head to the side while thinking. Kageyama isn't precisely wrong, but that was probably impossible to achieve in a single game.

"Hinata's weapon, that nimbleness of his... Don't you think it's being diminished by your toss?" With the third-year's words, a look of surprise appeared on Kageyama's face. The third-year continues, his eyebrows furrowing, "Hinata doesn't have any technique or experience. And your team was barely together because it was a group of talented players. But with your talent...."

Hinata, on the other hand, drops his shoulder in dejection at being called out for his lack of experience.

Sugawara looked flustered, waving his hand in front of him, seemingly trying to sort his words right. "How do I put this? More of Hinata's ability or character, or whatever we can call it. Uh-it'll be more like, erm.... It's like you'll somehow use him better? I-I'm, I'm a setter just like you, so I was amazed when I watched your match last year." Sugawara slowed down, holding the volleyball between his hands as he looked down at it, "you had sense and ball control better than anyone in the stadium. And above all, you calmly saw through the opposing blockers' movement and made decisions accordingly... Those were talents I don't have..." Sugawara sighed, the end coming out barely as a whisper.

Tanaka opened his mouth to argue, but before he could, Daichi sent him a look with a shake of a head that made him quickly shut up.

"For you, who has technique, probably more than enough willingness. And above all, excellent eyes which can see everything around you, there is absolutely no way you can't see your comrades on the court with you!" Sugawara ends his words with a determined stare.

Immediately, Kageyama thinks about his senpai's words. Briefly, his eyes moved to Chiaki, and that action made him think about her words she had said to him on multiple occasions while they were still in middle school.

**_"Tobi-kun, you have keen eyesight like me. Take advantage of that and look at the court with a broad eye. As a setter, it's important to see which teammates you can use. Observance is a gift."_ **

Kageyama's head snapped to the orange-haired male next to him, the said male looking absolutely lost, a look of question on his face.

"I-"

Hinata flinches, jerking away as Kageyama loomed over him, staring at him with his sharp eyes.

"Wha-?"

"I am jealous of your physical ability!"

"Hah?!" Hinata gasped, confused at the sudden compliment sent to him by the male he thought wasn't capable of doing such a thing.

Kageyama ignores Hinata's confusion as he continues, "that's why you, who have the ability but are horrible at volleyball, irritates me!" His comments anger Hinata, the smaller boy growing confused as he's complimented and dissed in the same sentence. "Since that's the case, I will pull out all of your ability. At your fastest speed, perform your highest jump, and I will get the ball to you!"

It takes only a second for Chiaki to realize what Kageyama was going to try to do. She blinks, subconsciously bringing her thumb to her mouth, nibbling on it thoughtfully. _If he is able to do that.... His ability as a setter would really be mind-blowing._ The silver-haired teen understood to pull off setting the ball to the spiker without any hints was only possible for someone with keen observation skills. If Kageyama was going to pull this off, he's going to have to be aware of the ball and spiker's location, along with calculating the height of where he would jump.

She can't help but lean forward in the seat she sat in, her pupils dilating as she watches everything. Chiaki sucks in a sharp breath from her mouth, the thin, nearly invisible hairs on her arms and neck standing up. The familiar sound of the volleyball smacking the palm is loud, and the ball hitting the ground was equally as deafening. The female doesn't even realize she had stood up, the foldable chair clattering back at her action. But no one is paying attention to that, staring at the ball that rolled on the floor with their mouth hanging.

"Alright!" Kageyama yells out, clenching his fist in front of him in glee.

Hinata looks shocked that he was able to hit the ball, staring at his own palm in disbelief, a broad smile on his face. "UWAAAHHHH!! I HIT IT! I HIT IT WITH THIS HAND!!!"

Losing strength in her legs, Chiaki sinks to the floor in a squat, the heel of her palm pressing into her eyes. Shimizu is immediately by her side, worried for her. But the glassed female is taken aback as she sees that although the upper part of the silver-haired girl's face wasn't visible, her lips are curled up into a wide grin. Shimizu nearly flinches when Chiaki finally pulls her hands away from her face.

Chiaki's usually soft, drooping eyes seemed to be sharper, taking a predatory gleam as she stared at the court, not being able to hide the excitement that bubbled inside of her. She was almost positive that if she had blinked, she would have missed the whole thing. And if she saw correctly, Hinata...

"O-Oi... Just now, Hinata had his eyes closed..." Daichi spoke up, his words making everyone excluding Chiaki yell out in disbelief.

"H-Hey you! Why the heck did you have your eyes closed?!" Kageyama yelled as he pointed a finger at Hinata, who flinched, getting snapped out of his excitement.

As the two argued, Chiaki slowly grabbed the chair that she had knocked over, silently sitting back on it. She doesn't notice the look of concern Sugawara and Shimizu sends her way, Chiaki staring at the court with an unreadable look on her face. Eventually, Daichi notices as well, realizing the female was staring at Hinata and Kageyama with an expression he couldn't accurately read. She barely moves from where she sits even as the game concludes with Hinata, Kageyama, and Tanaka's team coming out as victors.

"-senpai! Aki-senpai! Are you okay?"

Chiaki blinks as Kageyama peers into her face, the raven-haired boy looking into her eyes in concern, beads of sweat running down his cheek, getting collected by a towel that wraps around his neck.

Kageyama's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the female averted her eyes from him, tilting her head to the side, refusing to make eye contact with him. The older female had never done that to him before. Chiaki was a person who believed heavily in eye contact when speaking to another. But she had blatantly avoided looking at him, refusing to even acknowledge him.

"Aki-senpai, did you see us? Weren't we awesome with ' _woosh!_ ' and ' _boom!'_ That was so fun!" Hinata pushed Kageyama aside as he leaped in the air in front of Chiaki, looking like an excited puppy with his flopping hair.

Seeing the small boy, Chiaki releases a little chuckle, a weak smile on her face, "yes Hinata-kun, that was very impressive. Next time, when you jump, try to lean your upper body a bit more forward. You jump high right now, but by improving your form, you'll go higher. And when you're receiving a spike, lower your hips a bit more and tuck your chin in, it'll be easier to control the ball."

Hinata blinks his large eyes, staring at Chiaki with his head tilted in confusion. "Aki-senpai, you awfully know a lot about volleyball? Are you also the manager like Shimizu-san?"

Chiaki freeze, feeling her mouth become dry as if someone stuffed cotton balls inside. Kageyama looks like he wants to strangle the shorter boy, his already sharp eyes narrowing.

But before Kageyama could do anything, a snicker makes all of their attention shift to the side.

Tsukishima has a water bottle in hand, his lip curling into a small smirk as he looks their way with an amused expression. "Of course, Hinata wouldn't know the Dove, huh? I'm not surprised, he didn't even know about the King."

The confusion Hinata feels deepens as he looks at Tsukishima, not noticing how Chiaki was stiff as a board next to him, her skin seeming to turn a bit pale. "The Dove? Is that another nickname?"

Tsukishima's smirk seems to deepen as he points a thumb at the silver-haired female who was slowly calming down, her lips forming a straight line.

"That's one of the nicknames she had. The Dove, U-17's number one female wing spiker in Japan. She's known to be the decade's female prodigy that was born in a family of volleyball players. But her serves and spikes gained her fame as the ace of her team."

At the information Hinata learns, his brown eyes sparkled as he looked up at Chiaki, not being able to notice the distress in her eyes.

Chiaki felt sick.  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐 🏐 **EXTRA** 🏐 🏐

"Oi, something doesn't feel right," Taiga and Kouga chorused at the same time as they sat at the dining table, eating a late breakfast with their mother. They looked at each other and nodded. This uneasy feeling they felt at the same time was the proof they were right.

Minako stared at the twins in bewilderment, frozen in mid-bite, her rice that was held up by her chopsticks falling back into her bowl. Immediately she places the utensil down on the table, looking at her two sons, a bit off-put by them synching up almost too perfectly.

The twins had their eyebrows furrowed, their messy bed hair sticking up in weird places.

"Something upset Chi-chan," Taiga grumbles, placing his chopsticks down as he brings his hand to his chin, rubbing at it thoughtfully.

Kouga hummed in agreement, his grey eyes narrowing, "I think so too." The young man cracked his knuckles, rotating his neck as another crack echoed through the room. "Who do you think I have to beat up, Tai?"

"I don't know, but I'll make sure you don't get arrested, Kou."

Minako watched her sons with a blank look, a sigh leaving her lips. Secretly, she wondered if the twins had a built in signal inside their body that detected whenever Chiaki was distressed. If they said they did, she somehow wouldn't be surprised seeing how protective they were. _Hiroto, why are you not here to help me control our sons? Or at least Minato, he's not irrational and has a firm leash on the twins_...  
  
  


🏐 🏐 **Meanwhile** 🏐 🏐

"Achoo!"

Yamaguchi flinched as the tall male sneezed beside him. The freckled male became increasingly worried as Tsukishima paled, shivering in place, "Tsukki! Are you okay?! Are you catching a cold, do you want my jacket?" Yamaguchi questioned in panic, shifting around his friend in worry.

Tsukishima released another shiver, "you're loud, Yamaguchi. I'm fine, I just felt unusually cold right now," the blonde grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in unease.  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, above is the first character stats for the twins! Do you like their character design? I hope you do! Honestly, Taiga reminds me of Tsukishima a bit, but I swear he's super gentlemanly to girls!
> 
> Please don't forget to comment, vote, and spread a word of this fic! I would love ADRW to get more love from the readers. And don't hesitate to ask questions, I may or may not answer depending on if it's a spoiler. Also, I've decided this fanfic will go all the way up to the Olympics, and of course without a lot of time skips, so we'll get to see Chiaki in college as well!
> 
> Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time!
> 
> Next update chapter 5| I Hate Volleyball coming on 09/18/2020!
> 
> -Ember


	6. I Hate Volleyball

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 5.4 k

🏐 🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐 🏐 

Sawamura Daichi had always been pretty sure about himself. He knew his likes and dislikes, understood what he strived for, what he had to do to succeed. He liked to think he was a reasonably nice guy, with a small group of people he could call his close friends. He liked keeping an eye out for these friends, making sure they were okay.

Recently, there was an addition to a group of people he called his friends. While Daichi usually tended to stay with people near his age, he hadn't had an issue befriending this younger girl. While their meeting was somewhat dangerous, seeing as he did stop her from tumbling down the stairs, it was probably what solidified their relationship. It was a day Daichi was glad he decided to leave his house early, no matter how tired he had felt.

Ibato Chiaki was someone that he wanted to keep around him because he was concerned for her. Some may ask if he pitied her. But that wasn't the case. Instead, he admired the tall, silver-haired female. She was a strong young woman with a heart of gold. She loved from the bottom of her heart, loyal to those she cares, warm and accepting.

However, Daichi also knew that behind those characteristics, she hid something deeper within her, unwilling to share it with him or Sugawara. Not yet, at least. Something Daichi was hoping would change as they grew closer. The Karasuno VBC captain was pretty sure that it was the same for Sugawara, his closest friend.

On multiple occasions, Daichi had seen Chiaki shrink back, a distinct look flashing in her eyes. While she stayed strong, there were times when she could become so fragile that he couldn't help but want to stretch his hand out to her. And, as much as his heart hurt, he knew the younger girl wouldn't take it.

In moments like those, Daichi never pushed her, allowing Chiaki to have her space. Or if he can, swerve her away from whatever that made her like that. He's been successful in doing precisely that with the help of Sugawara in the past.

But right now, he wasn't too sure if he'll be successful in doing that. Especially when a certain orange-haired first-year had no knowledge of the healing scars Chiaki had.

"Ace?! Wow! Wow! Wow! That has such a cool ring to it!" Hinata gasped, his brown eyes wide and shining as he jumped around in excitement. "And number one wing spiker, woah?!"

In his excitement, the ginger didn't notice the VBC members waving their arms frantically behind Chiaki, trying to stop him from continuing the conversation. Even Kageyama looked a bit panicked, the dark-haired boy's eyes widened as he opened and closed his mouth.

Daichi and Sugawara shared eye contact, the two third-years already getting a bad feeling as the conversation escalated without anyone being able to stop the excited boy who stared at Chiaki with starry eyes. The captain sent a glare to Tsukishima, who was the instigator of this conversation, the blond seeming to be pleased being the shit-starter.

"Aki-senpai is Japan's number one female spiker?! I want to see it! I want to see it! C-Can I have the honor of seeing your spike and serve?!" Hinata spoke fast, his whole body shaking out of excitement. If he was a dog, his tail would be wiggling so fast, his head would also have been vibrating.

Kageyama seemed to snap out of his stupor, angrily stomping his way to Hinata and yanking the back of his shirt, making the orange-haired boy stumble in surprise.

"Huh?! Wha-What are you doing, Kageyama?! Gyaaa! You're stretching my shirt!"

"Bōke! Shut up! You're loud, and you're troubling Aki-senpai!" The setter barked, his eyes darting between the smaller boy and the female, a hint of panic in them as he realized how silent Chiaki was.

Hinata being the clueless little bean he was, only pouted, turning to Kageyama with a scowl, "stop being so stingy, Kageyama! Are you jealous that I'm talking to Aki-senpai? I know she was your senpai in middle school, but now she's also my senpai! I should be allowed to see her amazing serves and spike as well! Booo!"

A irk mark popped on Kageyama's forehead as he moved to hit the shorter boy, "t-that's not what I'm trying to say, bōke! Ugh! Why are you such an idiot?!"

The two boys jabbed and dodged each other, starting to scuffle much to everyone's disbelief. Eventually, they moved away, breathing heavily. But it seemed like Hinata hadn't given up, turning his head to Chiaki. Kageyama also noticed this, his eyes narrowing sharply as he moved to stop Hinata again. However, the tall setter froze, his eyes widening.

"Aki-senpai! Please, I'm beg-...." Hinata's words trailed off as he too took in Chiaki, who stood in front of them.

Kageyama swallowed thickly, realizing Chiaki was mad. Knowing her since he first entered middle school, the setter knew the older girl didn't get angry easily. And on the rare occasion she did, Chiaki wouldn't show it, hiding it with a chilling smile that could freeze anybody. He had seen that a couple of times and each time made him think he didn't want to be at the receiving end of her anger.

But Kageyama could tell that the anger Chiaki held today was different from the times he saw in the past. Today, anyone who sees her right now would be able to tell Chiaki was angry. The others who had stood behind Chiaki weren't able to notice, but the female had turned slightly red, her eyebrows furrowed. Her hands were curled in a fist beside her thighs. And her eyes were burning with a fury that made both Hinata and Kageyama suck in a breath.

However, Kageyama was pretty sure that her anger wasn't aimed at either of them. But that didn't mean he wasn't terrified to see the usually level-headed senpai of his look like that.

Chiaki slowly breathed in before letting the air out, her shoulders dropping as well.

"Uh- I-" Hinata stuttered, seeming to not know what to say. He nervously looked at his other senpais who stood behind Chiaki, but they too looked like they didn't know what to do, keeping their lips sealed tight at the tense atmosphere.

Chiaki curled and uncurled her fingers, realizing they felt numb. Eventually, she moved her focus on the shorter boy in front of her. "Hinata-kun."

Hearing his name, Hinata flinched, cowering as he realized how cold Chiaki sounded. The said female notices this, but she didn't care enough to change her tone.

"Sorry, but I can't do either of what you ask me. I don't play volleyball anymore. And I'm not the volleyball club's manager, so you won't be seeing me around here anymore," Chiaki explained, calming down enough to be able to smile at the boy.

Seeing this, Hinata seemed to relax a bit, seemingly relieved to see the female smile at him. On the other hand, Kageyama doesn't look to be convinced by her expression, sending her a doubting look and refusing to come closer to her.

"Huh? Really? Then, why are you here today on a Saturday morning, Aki-senpai?" The ginger questioned as he tilted his head to the side, looking a bit confused. Chiaki would have found the action cute if her mind wasn't where it was at the moment.

Seeing the chance, Sugawara quickly stepped in, smiling brightly, although it twitched a bit because of how he was forcing himself. "Daichi and I invited Aki-chan to come to this match, hoping it'll be convincing enough to make her our new manager!"

"Eh? Really?" Tanaka and Hinata chorused, their eyes shining at the new information revealed to them.

At that moment, Sugawara mentally realized he may have made a mistake, screaming in his head. _Koushi, you're an idiot! A big, big idiot, who probably made this whole thing even worse!_ And to confirm, when the silver-haired male looked at Daichi, his friend had a faraway look in his eyes, seeming to want to facepalm himself. Just as Sugawara had those thoughts, Daichi smacked his head to forehead, shaking his head. _Oh- we're fucked..._

"No," a chilling voice made Sugawara freeze, slowly turning his head to Chiaki, his movement looking like the tin man from the Wizard of Oz before he was oiled.

Hinata was either clueless, or he ignored the tension, looking at Chiaki with an innocent question. "Eh? Why not? You may not play volleyball anymore, but you have the knowledge, right? And you're friends with Kageyama, Captain, and Suga-senpai. Being a manager would be fun with us!"

"I hate volleyball."

Hinata and everyone in the gym froze, none of them expecting an answer like that to come from her.

"Eh? Why?"

_Hinata, you idiooooooot!!!_ Everyone thinks, wanting to grab the short first-year and strangle him with the insensitive and immediate question to Chiaki's statement. Sugawara felt faint, and Tanaka was flustered, his hand getting waved around, not knowing how to stop the younger boy from causing more damage. Daichi pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling an intense headache looming over his head. The instigator of this whole thing stayed silent with Yamaguchi, slowly realizing he might have stirred more trouble then what he initially wanted. Yamaguchi was pale beside him, keeping his mouth zipped tight as he watched what was bubbling with anxiety. 

Chiaki couldn't move her gaze from Hinata, her heart twinging at the earnest look he sent her. Seeing that, the anger she was trying to put a lid onto seemed to overfill, the bitterness she felt leaking into her tone. It was like a dam that held her emotions together broke, all the words, all the frustration she held flooded out in a huge black wave.

"I hate it because I can't play anymore. I hate that I got this damn injury and how much it took away from me. I hate how all my future plans were about volleyball, and now I have nothing. I hate having to watch you all play it with that bright smile on your face, having so much fun. I hate how my wish to go to my dream school and go to nationals and see the top in high school isn't possible for me anymore. I hate how as much as I want to stay away, volleyball is around me! I hate everything about volleyball!" Chiaki didn't realize she was shouting by the end, her voice raising the loudest it has ever had in her life.

The boys and Shimizu stared at her in shock at her outburst, Sugawara and Daichi looking away as they saw the pain in their friend's eyes.

Chiaki was heaving, her shoulders rising and falling as she felt her cheeks flush in embarrassment and anger, the back of her eyes stinging as her emotions went haywire for the first time. It was the very first time she had let her anger out about her injuries. And in front of people that could almost be considered strangers, excluding a few of them.

It takes another second for Chiaki to realize what she had just done. Her hands shakes, horrified at her own outburst and feeling humiliated at the same time. It's a miracle that she hadn't run out of the gym. Which she would have done if her damn legs would move.

"It doesn't look like you hate it, senpai," Chiaki froze at the clear voice, slowly turning her head to look at who spoke. The boy with orange hair stared at her with his brown eyes.

Everyone else stared at Hinata in bewilderment, "Wha-"

"I don't think you hate volleyball, Aki-senpai. Because when you said you hate it, you looked like you wanted to cry. I think you love it so much, it makes you really sad knowing you can't play it."

Chiaki is at a loss for words, her eyes wide as Hinata faced her, his brown eyes seeming to stare straight into her. The said boy crossed his arms as he closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side as he thought deeply.

"I'm an idiot a lot of times, so I don't understand a lot of things. But I don't think someone who once loved volleyball could end up really hating it. At least, I don't think I can," Hinata spoke as he scratched the back of his head, smilingly sheepishly. He, however, grew a bit serious as he looked at the frozen female in front of him. "I don't know what happened to you, Aki-senpai. But from what you said, I think you got an injury that prevents you from playing volleyball. That must really suck. Actually, it's uh, more than sucky, I guess. I'm pretty bad at volleyball, but I can't imagine not being able to play again because of an injury."

The others in the gym also seemed to not know what to say as Hinata spoke, a mixture of astonishment and confusion as they tried to understand what he's trying to say.

"I'm sorry that you have to give a lot of your dreams up. B-But, you don't have to give up the one where you go to nationals! Uh, what I'm trying to say is that, if you're a manager, that means you're part of our team, right? You may not physically be able to stand on the courts and play with us, but you can still go!" Hinata seemed to grow confused at his own words, his eyes spinning as he tried to sort his thoughts.

Kageyama seemed to be growing annoyed as he smacked the boy's back. "What are you saying, Hinata Bōke?! You're not making any sense!"

"Gah!" Hinata ran his hands through his hair, pulling on his roots in frustration before a look of determination entered his eyes as he turned to Chiaki. "What I'm trying to say is! Senpai! We'll take you to nationals, just as you dreamed. Maybe its not exactly how you imagined yourself, but still, if we can win, we'll go to nationals! You'll be able to see the very top with us! So be our manager!"

A silence fell over all of them, Chiaki staring at Hinata in awe, her grey eyes as wide as saucers.

When no one said anything, the confidence that Hinata was emitting slowly began to dwindle, the boy curling into himself in embarrassment. With flushed cheeks, he spoke, flustered out of his mind. "I-I mean! I m-mean it's not something I can do alone but.... What I'm trying to say is- uh-"

A hand slammed into the orange-haired male's back, making him gasp in pain, stumbling forward in surprise. When he looked up, Tanaka, who was responsible for the hit, grinned widely, wrapping an arm around the shorter boy's neck.

"Hell yah, Hinata! I like your spirit and the way you think! Of course, we'll go to nationals, as your senpai, I'll lend you my help! Right Suga-san? Daichi-san? You'll help too, right?!" The second-year with shaved head looked back, turning his gaze to his two senpais who watched everything in a stupor, taken aback at what Hinata said.

Daichi and Sugawara share brief eye contact before nodding with a smile. This makes Hinata smile brightly, seeming to be delighted.

His eyes turned back to Chiaki, who was still frozen in place, trying to process what was happening. She's amazed by the way Hinata thought. His simplicity was something Chiaki would never be able to do herself, and it took a bit to completely understand what he was saying.

Hinata, however, obviously doesn't seem to notice, opening his mouth. "For me, because I love volleyball so much, as much as it would hurt to not be able to play anymore, I feel that it would hurt even more staying away from it. Just watching it makes me feel excited! Isn't that the same for you, Aki-senpai? You looked super stoked watching Kageyama set earlier!"

Hearing this, Kageyama looked at the female in surprise, his mouth parting a bit. But he can't see her whole face, her eyes getting covered and shadowed by her silver bangs.

"Really....? Are you serious about nationals too...?" A meek voice finally comes from Chiaki, the female is barely loud enough to be heard from everyone in the gym. But, her voice and question were heard by Hinata, the said boy grinning widely as he gave the girl a thumbs up.

"Really! I promise we'll work really hard!"

Chiaki can't help it, a light laugh leaving her lips. Suddenly, everything seemed stupid. She felt ridiculous and silly over the bitterness she had been feeling. She indeed felt jealousy and resentment when she watched the game earlier. She had wished it was her that was leaping into the air, her hands that hit the ball and spiked it down to the ground. But with the bitterness, like Hinata said, she felt the excitement watching them play. An enthusiasm that had been missing in her life since the accident over a year ago. And there's no denying how much she had liked that feeling, the way the adrenaline pumped in her veins, and the way her pupils dilated wide.

Hinata's words were right. The past year had been hell staying away from volleyball. It hurt that she couldn't play it anymore. But hearing Hinata's words, she realized staying away from it hurt even more just like he said. Her love for volleyball was just too strong. And during the last year, she only truly did felt happy when she was watching a game.

Her gaze shifts to Kageyama as the boy takes a step closer to her, a look of determination is his dark eyes. A conflicted look was on his face, his lips pointed in a small pout, however, he finally looks at the female with unwavering eyes. "Hinata may be an idiot, and he may suck at volleyball, but he's right, Aki-senpai."

Hinata, who heard this looked at Tanaka with a pout, "is he praising me or dissing me?!"

Kageyama pays no mind to Hinata's complaint as he continues to speak. "You may not be able to play volleyball like in middle school, and you may not be able to go to nationals with just your own strength. But, if you become our manager, you become one of us. You taught me many things about volleyball, you were the one senpai I looked up to the most when it came to the sport. I learned so much with your input and advices. And I hope you can continue to give me advice like in middle school to help me improve. I promise you, I'll do my absolute best to show you the tallest stage of nationals! So please be our manager!"

Chiaki doesn't expect the setter to give her a deep bow, his back bending at a ninety-degree angle. The other members, excluding Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, who were watching, shared an eye contact before joining in a line, bowing deeply in front of Chiaki.

The said female watched them in awe. The boys continued to bow, and Chiaki released an audible sigh that made them all peek at her. She had made her decision.

"No, I won't be your manager."

Everyone looks at the silver-haired female in shock, seeming to not think she'll reject them so quickly. Especially Kageyama, the dark-haired setter looking visibly dejected. He looks down with his shoulder slumped, biting his bottom lip with his teeth.

"I won't be your manager because I'm selfish and while I know only one manager is allowed to be on the court for each team, I still want to be able to stand there. But I'm not taking that privilege away from Shimizu-San," Chiaki explained, eyeing the said female who stood couple feet's away. "And there are multiple things that a manager is supposed to do that I can't do. Many of my movements are still limited because of my injury, I can't carry heavy stuff like water bottles, and I can't exactly run around. But I can also do a lot of things a normal manager can't. I can be your medic and help with what I can with the knowledge I have with sports medicine."

At Chiaki's unexpected words, everyone looked at her in surprise. In response, Chiaki smiled gently, her gaze shifting over them all.

"R-Really?" Sugawara questioned, seeming to be touched at what Chiaki said.

The female nodded at her fellow silver head, "yeah, but I warn you. I'm still planning on graduating after this year. While I'll help with whatever Shimizu-san needs, you'll still have to look for a manager for next year," Chiaki warns, which the other eagerly nods at, "and-"

Everyone intently listened, ready to hear her conditions. A mischievous look appears in her grey orbs, "there'll be a painful punishment if you guys can't keep your promise about nationals."

Suddenly, all of them felt like a shiver ran down their back, paling a bit as the female sent them a rare wicked grin that made her usual sweetness melt away. Shimizu covered her mouth with her jacket's sleeve, hiding the snicker that threatened to slip. Chiaki laughed wholeheartedly, sounding like light bells making them all look at her in awe. Daichi's lips were parted, his eyes wide, realizing that was a genuine laugh, something he has never heard come from his friend in the past.

Chiaki released a giggle before turning to Daichi, the male straightening his back under her gaze, snapping out of his stupor. "Is it okay if I turned the registration form tomorrow? I don't have one on me," she questioned, her droopy grey eyes seeming to shine brightly.

Before Daichi could answer, Shimizu stepped forward, the glassed female smiling as she pulled a portfolio out, slipping a crisp paper out and handing it to her. Chiaki blinked at the registration paper in her hand in surprise, and Shimizu's response made her chuckle.

"We should seal it before you change your mind."

With amusement and neat handwriting, Chiaki signs the paper, eyeing her signature with her heart feeling content. Just as she's about to give it to Daichi, Kageyama and Hinata come to either side of her. She blinks, eyeing their wrinkly registration form and their messy handwriting with mirth.

Daichi doesn't seem to mind, staring at the three pieces of paper in his hand quietly before turning to his manager. "Shimizu, those have already come in, right?"

In response, the glassed beauty nods, going to grab a cardboard box.

Chiaki feels somewhat touched, the back of her eyes stinging for a brief moment as the female hands her a black jacket. The silver-haired female can't help but hug the still wrapped cloth to her chest.

The third-year watched her action with a smile while the first-years were already ripping open the plastic and trying the jacket on in glee.

"Uooooohhh! Look how cool this is!!" Hinata cried, twirling around happily.

Sugawara approaches Chiaki, the male smiling at her as he motions to the jacket in her hand. "Come on, miss medic. You're the only one who hasn't tried it on yet," the male teases.

With slight hesitance, Chiaki slips her arms into the jacket, the fabric smooth and comfortable against her skin.

"Ohh! You look lovely, Aki-san!!!!" Tanaka yelled out, looking touched, "with you and Kiyoko-san together, it would be the ultimate duo that will be undefeated!!" The male roared in excitement, his fist clenched in front of him.

This makes Chiaki laugh, the female gripping onto her sleeves, bringing it to her face and inhaling the familiar scent of new clothes washing over her.

Just as the older members admired the new members adorning their club jacket, the door of the gym slammed open, revealing a disheveled man with glasses. Chiaki blinked, recognizing him as Takeda-sensei, her Japanese Literature teacher for this year.

"Guys! I've secured a practice match! The opponent is one of the prefecture's best four! Aobajousai High School!" Takeda breathed heavily, seeming to try to even it out quickly. However, as he does, his gaze lands on Kageyama and Hinata, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"Oh! So you two must be the problematic Hinata-kun and Kageyama-kun, huh?"

With the way the man acknowledged them, both boys blinked, not being able to greet him with anything but a weak, "...Osu...." looking a bit dejected being recognized as troublemakers.

The glassed teacher then turned his gaze to Chiaki, a look of surprise appearing in his round gaze. "Oh, Ibato-san! I didn't expect to see you here as well."

Chiaki bows in greeting, Daichi immediately coming to her aid as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Ah, Takeda-sensei, Aki-chan has agreed to join our club. While not exactly a manager, she's able to help with the medical aspect of the club, and we decided she could help as our medic!"

This makes Takeda blink before nodding with a broad smile on his face, "oh, I see! If I recall correctly, your mother does work with sports medicine, does she not? Your help would be greatly appreciated, Ibato-san!"

Chiaki nodded, and Takeda moved his gaze back to Hinata and Kageyama, who was listening to the conversation with a bit of confusion, obviously wondering who this man was.

"Starting this year, I'm the volleyball club's advisor, Takeda Ittetsu! I don't have any volleyball experience, so I can't offer any guidance on the technical aspects, but aside from that, I look forward to us giving our all and doing our best!" Takeda explained, quickly getting a response from Kageyama and Hinata, who beamed. The teacher's attention went to the other members, the man releasing a laugh as he scratched at the back of his head, "wheew! Since I went to various places asking directly for a practice match, I didn't think I'd end up making this meeting at all!"

This makes Sugawara look a bit concerned, nodding, "Seijou is a powerful school, so how did you pull this off, Sensei?"

Daichi seemed to suddenly realize something, sending the adult a look of worry, "don't tell me you kowtowed again...?!"

This makes Takeda laugh as he waved his hand in front of him, "I didn't, not at all! Kowtowing is my strong point, and I'm good at it, but I didn't do it this time!"

Chiaki blinks, processing her sensei's words with a sweatdrop. _So, he has kowtowed before...._

"It's just, there's a condition for the match..."

This catches everyone's attention, looking at Takeda to continue. "They requested that Kageyama-kun will act as the setter the entire game."

Chiaki's eyes narrowed, a thoughtful look appearing in her face. Aobajousei was a school she knew well. How could she not when she had multiple acquaintances who went there? And seeing _who_ went there, this request wasn't something too surprising. However, that didn't stop her from looking at Sugawara, Daichi doing the same thing.

Tanaka was obviously ticked off by what the condition was, a dark look appearing on his face, "so they're saying that they've got no interest in Karasuno itself, huh? Right now, they only want to go against Kageyama, is that it? What the hell? Are they mocking us? How about I mock them up?"

Takeda flinches at the aggression Tanaka shows, taking a timid step back, "n-no... erm, they probably don't mean it in a nasty way like that...."

Chiaki watches as Sugawara closes his eyes for a brief moment, seeming to decide what he is going to do. He steps forward, placing a hand on Tanaka's shoulder, stopping the male, "that's fine. This isn't a chance you get every day."

This seemed to be a surprise to Tanaka, the male looking at his senpai with a frown. "Suga-san! Are you really okay with that?!"

The said male swallows as he speaks, "I want to see just how good Hinata and Kageyama's attack will be against one of the top four." 

Chiaki closes her eyes, thinking about the position Sugawara was in. With a sigh, she looked at the ceiling, the artificial orange light making her squint. _This sucks..._  
  
  


  
  
  
"Aki-senpai, are you, uh.... Are you going to be alright going to Seijoh?" Kageyama questioned as he walked beside the female. Chiaki blinked, tilting her head to the side a bit.

"Hm, yeah? Why are you asking that, Tobi-kun?" Chiaki questioned in confusion, swinging her arms a bit, smiling as her new black jacket fluttered a bit at the movement.

Kageyama scratched his chin before stuffing his hand in his pocket. "Uh, last time we talked, you said you also cut off Iwaizumi-san. Doesn't he go to that school?"

Chiaki blinked, swallowing hard as she realized what Kageyama was saying. His face popped in her head, and just doing that made the silver-haired female pale. _Why did I forget such important information...?!_

Feeling suddenly gloomy, Chiaki spoke up, "d-do you think I can skip out on this match?" She meekly questioned, her hand shooting out to grab Kageyama's. The male almost sweat dropped feeling how she shook so much, the vibration going up his arm.

In response, Kageyama shakes his head, making Chiaki release a devastating sigh. "I might end up getting murdered after the match then..."

"Did I just hear you trying to already skip?" Chiaki jumps as a large hand lands on her head. Daichi grins down at her in amusement as she denies, shaking her head with a pout.

Daichi laughs as Kageyama and Chiaki share a guilty look, "come on, I'm treating you all to some meat buns. You guys must be hungry."

This brightens Kageyama, the first year following his senpai eagerly. Chiaki, on the other hand, drags her feet, entering the Sakanoshita Shop. She smiles at the man behind the counter, the said man raising his hand in greeting.

"Aki-chan, can you stay in here for a bit. Suga, Kageyama, and I want to have a meeting, and we want your input as well. Let me just go out and give the others their meat buns, and I'll return." Daichi explained as he handed the female a steaming meat bun before making his way outside.

Hot potato-ing the hot bun, Chiaki finds a seat at one of the tables in the shop, Sugawara quickly joining her, followed by Daichi and Kageyama. The four of them huddle with their heads together, quietly muttering to each other.

"I've been thinking about Hinata's position in the upcoming practice match. What are your thoughts?" Daichi questioned, looking between Kageyama and Chiaki, who sat next to each other.

The two of them shared eye contact before nodding, both of them knew they had a similar idea going on.

"I think..."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐 🏐 **EXTRA** 🏐 🏐 (none related to this chapter)  
  
  


🏐 🏐 _9 YEARS AGO_ 🏐 🏐   
  


"Onii-chan!!"

Minato blinks, volleyball he plans on setting to his spiker landing on his face, bouncing off of it before rolling to the ground. Tears gathered at the corner of his eyes as he held his nose.

None of his teammates voiced their concern for him, their attention on the small girl that stepped into the gym, her brown hair being a fluffy mess that crowned her face.

"Ah, our cute team mascot is finally here!" One of the boys cooed, his cheeks flushing as the small girl trotted into the stadium, diving to her brother's legs, wrapping her arms tightly around his thighs as she hugged him.

Minato sighed as he bent down, picking up his eight-year-old sister into his arm. He pressed a quick kiss into her sweaty temple, his lips curling as Chiaki released a happy giggle, wrapping her thin arms around his neck.

"Chi-chan, you know better to just interrupt my practice," Minato gently scolds, the tiny girl grabbing onto his white shirt sadly, "what would have happened if one of my teammates were spiking? You could have gotten hit by one of the balls."

Chiaki looked down in shame, "sorry, Onii-chan..."

Minato sighs, squeezing his little sister once more. "As long as you don't do it again."

The other boys in the gym watch the scene with warm eyes, some of them envious of the relationship between them.

"Minato."

At the gruff voice, Minato stiffened, immediately turning and bowing to his coach. "Sorry, coach!"

This makes Ukai release a low chuckle, "it's fine, I've gotten used to it. Although, I can't deny that practice was abruptly stopped. Give her to me and go back on setting before those other brats get impatient," the man with white hair comments, spreading his arms.

Chiaki beamed as she opened her arms as she's passed from her brother to his coach, Ukai cradling the small girl in his arms before placing her on his lap where they watched practice.

"Did you have practice today, too, little one?" Ukai questioned as patted her head as she watched the high school boys intently.

Chiaki beams at the question, nodding with a smile, "I did! I stopped Wakkun's spike today. He wasn't that happy, but it's not scary like my daddy's or Onii-chans', so I was fine," the little girl proudly explained.

Ukai chuckled as he ruffled her hair once more, the softness under his fingers making his eyes soften. "You'll end up being strong too then, like your father and brothers."

"Mmhm," Chiaki nodded, her eyes back on the court. However, she spoke up with a tilt of her head, "is it break time? No one is tossing the ball."

This makes Ukai's head snap back to his team, a tick mark appearing on his face as he glowered as he sees the boys all staring at little Chiaki in hopes of getting a stress relief they craved during practice. Using his hand, the adult covered Chiaki's little ears.

"YOU BRATS!! GO BACK TO PRACTICING, OR I MAKE YOU DO THIRTY SUICIDES!!!"

Chiaki released a childish giggle of glee.  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I wondering if you all noticed a little Easter egg in the EXTRA, hehe. I'm not gonna reveal anything but I hope it caught some of your attention and raised an eyebrow.
> 
> I'm positive some of you will have questions about it but ahhhh! So exciting. I have like six chapters in stock rn for this book, so I can promise you'll we'll be having updates until December for sure. I'm actually working in chapter 11 and I'm almost done as well. I'm having so much fun writing this book!! 
> 
> Don't forget to vote and comment, I love hearing all of your thoughts!
> 
> Next chapter | EX is coming out on October 2, 2020!
> 
> And happy early birthday to Chiaki, Tsukishima, and me! September babies!!! I made Chiaki's birthday same as mine as ours is a day before Tsukki's
> 
> -Ember
> 
> Posted: 9/18/2020


	7. Ex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 6.8 K

🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐🏐

The Ibato family were all frozen at the dinner table, staring at their youngest member as she brought her chopsticks to her mouth. She was the only one who moved, continuing her meal as if she hadn't dropped the bomb on them.

"C-Chi-chan, c-c-can you repeat that? I think I'm g-getting old and my hearing i-isn't as good as it u-used to be," Minako stuttered, her eyes shaking as she stared at her only daughter with a weak smile.

Chiaki blinked, looking up at her mother who sat across from her in confusion, her head tilted to the side.

"I joined the volleyball team."

Chiaki flinched as a loud clang rang out, her eyes shooting to Taiga who dropped his bowl he had in his hand, the rice spilling all over his front. Kouga, who sat next to their mother, choked on his miso soup, a wet gurgle leaving his mouth as he smacked his chest with his fist.

Minako's lips trembled before she burst into tears.

Chiaki sat in her chair, frozen in place as she watched the chaos that happened in front of her. Taiga was frozen stiff like a statue although steaming rice was covering him, Taiga wheezing as he tried to dislodge the tofu stuck in his pipe, and Minako sobbing while she fumbled with her phone.

Chiaki didn't realize Minako was calling someone until the familiar ring entered her ears, and she heard it get picked up with a "hello," a voice she immediately recognized as her father.

Hiroto's eyes widened, startled as his wife's sobbing face came into the sight as soon as he picked up the FaceTime call.

"H-Honey? What happened, are you okay?" The man questioned quickly in concern, his eyebrows knitting together. He only gets a blubbering response that makes his worry spike for his wife.

Minato, who sat across from him at the dinner table, looked up from his food, eyebrows raised up in interest, sending his father a questioning look.

"H-Hiroto....! Chi-chan....! C-Chi-chan!" Minako cried out Chiaki's nickname, making the two men in Tokyo share eye contact in concern, thinking something had happened to their youngest family member that was in Miyagi, hours away.

"Honey, calm down. Did something happen to Chiaki?" Hiroto asked gently, inwardly panicking, seeing how his wife was a mess on the screen, nose red as tears ran down her face.

"C-CHI-CHAN SAID SHE JOINED THE VOLLEYBALL TEAM!!!"

Hiroto and Minato froze, the later dropping his chopsticks, it rolling on the floor. Hiroto himself almost dropped his phone in his soup, fumbling with it in panic.

"W-What....?" Minato questioned with his tone a few octaves lower than usual. He's immediately up on his feet, rounding around the dinner table so he can peer into the phone in his shaking father's hand.

Chiaki has her eyes closed, the female pinching the bridge of her nose tiredly as the chaos continues at her house. Kouga was recovering from his near-death experience, the male wheezing as he wiped at his mouth that dripped with miso soup. She helped Taiga clean up, trying to place the rice grains that stuck onto him back into the bowl to get thrown out. Minako was still crying, looking like a mess.

Hiroto and Minato, who were in their house in Tokyo, tried to grasp the situation back at their other home in Miyagi, their mouths opening and closing. Their mind tried to process what they heard from Minako.

Both males blinked as the phone was taken away from the crying woman, the face of Chiaki replacing her.

"Hi dad, Minato-nii-san," Chiaki greets, smiling wearily, turning away from her family that was in the same room as her.

"Chi-chan, is what mom said true?" Minato quickly questioned before properly greeting her. Chiaki's eldest brother peered into the phone, stealing it away from his father. Seeing this, Chiaki blinked before nodding. She then flinched as she heard a loud wail from her phone, watching as Minato looked equally as startled as she felt.

"M-My baby girl taking part in something to do with volleyball a-again? I-I'm so t-touched!" Hiroto cried out, his loud wails echoing. Minato grimaced at the noise, his nose scrunching up briefly. His eyes widened as he watched as Hiroto began to stumble around.

"D-Dad?! What are you doing?!" The dark-haired male questioned, standing up to stop his father, who began to stuff a backpack.

With tears and snot running down his face, Hiroto responded, "h-how can I stay here when my princess decides something i-important like that! I need to go home and celebrate! We need to celebrate Minato!"

Minato felt a headache threatening to attack his head. With one hand, he gripped his father, stopping the large man. However, Minato can't help but grit his teeth, straining his muscles to stop Hiroto, who was built like bricks. "Dad, you can't! You have a meeting tomorrow morning and an important practice match with your team in the afternoon. And don't bother lying about it, I talked to Hirugami-kun today, so I know!"

Chiaki watched this with a cold look. Her gaze shifted to her family who was in the same room as her. Not much has changed; the three still trying to recover from their shock. Her eyes then moved back to the phone screen, her brother struggling to hold down their father, trying to stop him from taking the bullet train back to Miyagi.

"Dad, I'll be mad if you come back. You know I don't like it when you're irresponsible," Chiaki spoke. She was able to see that her words made Hiroto freeze, the man visibly shrinking back in sadness. Chiaki was almost sure that if her father had dog ears, they would have been flat against his head, his tail tucked between his legs.

"Chi-chan...." Hiroto pitifully called out his daughter's name, looking heartbroken. But Chiaki paid no mind to him, her attention on her eldest brother, who seemed to look relieved.

Minato sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose for a brief second. However, he recovers quickly, a small gentle smile on his face as he looks into his younger sister's face through the screen of the phone.

"Chi-chan, I don't know what happened back in Miyagi, but I'm very proud of you. When you have time, can you call me and tell me the whole story? I would love to hear it," Minato's brown eyes that are droopy like her own are warm.

Chiaki returns the smile, her own eyes narrowing in fondness, "for sure, Minato-nii-san. I trust that you have everything under control over there?"

Hearing this, Minato's face scrunches up briefly before nodding. Chiaki holds back a laugh, her eyes shifting to the dinner table of her home. It seemed like the twins and mother had calmed down enough to clean up the mess they made.

"Alright, I'll talk to you soon, Chi-chan. I miss you and love you," Minato sweetly says, the corner of his eyes crinkling, just like the way Hiroto's does when he smiles.

Chiaki whispers her own goodbye before placing the phone on the table. With a sigh, she rolls the sleeve of the sweater she wears, moving to help clean up the mess and see what can be saved from their dinner.  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐🏐 **TUESDAY AFTER SCHOOL** 🏐🏐

"I'm glad you were able to get an okay from the school nurse," Daichi comments as he stands next to Chiaki.

Chiaki nods in silent agreement. She was glad too. Yesterday afternoon, she had not gone to the volleyball team's practice after school because she had to speak to the school nurse about joining the volleyball team. Of course, the nurse had put up a fight, seeing as Chiaki was of tremendous help. But eventually, she gave in, although somewhat reluctantly.

Now she stood next to Daichi and Sugawara in front of the bus, making sure everything was set. On her upper arm, she had a red cloth band that signified her as a medic, something she proudly wears.

During the weekend, Takeda had emailed the inter-high representatives. And it was quickly decided that when the tournament comes around, Chiaki will work as one of the many medic volunteers around the stadium. When Karasuno has their own games, she will be on break and be allowed to be on the court with the coaches and manager. And during the other times, she will be working, standing at standby, watching other games just in case there is an injury.

Chiaki didn't mind that. Especially seeing as it gave her volunteer and experience hours she can use for university. Plus, she'll be able to scout other schools. 

Daichi made troubled eye contact with Sugawara, the silver-haired male seeming to be holding in a laugh. The two males looked down at their black club jacket. Attached to it is a hand, Chiaki holding onto the cloth and Daichi holding back the need to comment on it. Sugawara, on the other hand, found the whole thing funny because it seemed like Chiaki was doing it without even realizing it.

Both males recall yesterday afternoon after practice when Kageyama had spoken to them. The first year had warned them about Chiaki's tendency of holding hands and commented that it'll likely be one of them who would be at the receiving end of her affection seeing as they were closest to her. Neither of them minded, but a small part of them felt flustered at the thought.

All the members slowly climbed onto the bus, leaving the three of them being the last ones to be outside. A mischievous gleam flashed in Sugawara's eyes as his hand moved to wrap around Chiaki's, making the girl blink in surprise. She stared at his hand for a moment before her eyes went to her other hand that still gripped onto Daichi's jacket. At that moment, she seemed to realize what she was doing, looking a bit taken aback and a bit bashful.

"Oh... I'm so-"

"It's okay if you want to hold hands, Aki-Chan! Daichi nor I are bothered by it," Sugawara assured with a beam before pulling her along, entering the bus. Daichi followed after them with a small smile, taking a seat near the front, sitting beside Chiaki.

Sugawara had claimed the window seat, seeming to be in a good mood, his hand still holding Chiaki. Little did he know that with his words, he had opened the doors that Chiaki was reluctant to do so herself, and from now on, she wasn't going to hesitate to hold hands with either of them seeing as he had given her the green light.

"Ah, Aki-senpai, here," Kageyama spoke up from the seat beside them, rumbling through his gym bag before pulling out a bottle of ginger ale and a small packet of pills. Sugawara and Daichi eyed the items with an eyebrow raised, while Chiaki looked relieved, taking it with a smile and nod.

"Kageyama, what are those for?" Daichi questioned, watching as Chiaki popped a pill in, swallowing it down with the soda.

Kageyama frowns, making sure to watch Chiaki swallow the pills before speaking. "Aki-senpai gets motion sickness from bus rides. Having those helps a bit, and I remembered last night."

This makes both Sugawara and Daichi look at the female beside them in concern.

"She should be fine now, though. She'll probably feel a bit nauseous, but because she took those, she should be fine. But it really is strange, it's only for buses" the raven-haired setter comments matter of factly, "she's fine on cars and other moving vehicles. But she always feels sick on buses."

"I probably can't stand boats either," Chiaki says before getting comfortable in the seat. She grimaces as the bus begins to move, Chiaki leaning her head against Daichi's shoulder as she closes her eyes. Said male flinches for a brief second before relaxing, Sugawara snickering in response. The silver-haired male had a feeling his friend was going to take a bit to get used to the skin contact with the girl, but he knew Daichi would eventually.

Sugawara sits up a bit as he hears a commotion from the back, Tanaka trying to hype and cheer up Hinata, who was abnormally nervous for today's practice match.

"Oi, Hinata! Have some pocky! That'll lighten you up a bit! Her-what the heck with that face!" Tanaka gasped as he took a good look at the ginger, flinching at the dark circles underneath the first-year's eyes.

Hinata blinks, his eyes almost lifeless. "Ehh? Ah, I kinda didn't sleep last night..." Hinata admits before covering his mouth with his hands, "c-can we open the window...? If we open it, I'll be-" The poor boy isn't able to finish his sentence as he disperses his stomach's content on his victim.

Chiaki kept her eyes closed with her eyebrows furrowed, "Suga-San, please open the window before the smell comes to the front of the bus and makes me even sicker..." She weakly whispered, the silver-haired male immediately doing as she said.

Daichi petted her silver-head in pity, "Aki-chan, take a nap if you can. I'll wake you up when we get there."

In response, the female nods in understanding, burrowing her face into Daichi's upper arm and letting her conscious go.  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
The silver-haired female adjusted the white face mask on her face, turning to Kageyama, who watched her silently.

"How is it?" She questioned, dusting off the black Karasuno tracksuit she wore that matched with Shimizu and the other club members. Kageyama nodded, his arms crossed over his chest.

"I wouldn't recognize you immediately, Aki-senpai. With your new hair color and half your face covered, it's hard to recognize you as long as you don't speak, and people don't get a good look of your eyes," the setter reassured, giving her a thumbs up.

This makes Chiaki sign in relief. Her gaze shifts to where the others were gathered. Hinata was apologizing multiple times to Tanaka, who had got dressed into a extra pair of clean shorts, typing his dirtied pair into a plastic bag to take home and wash.

Kageyama and Chiaki approach the team, they eyeing the silver-haired female in confusion and curiosity in their gaze.

"Why are you wearing a face mask, Aki-san?" Ennoshita questioned, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion, "are you feeling alright?" He question, growing concerned for his fellow second-year's health.

Chiaki opens her mouth to assure that she's fine when most of them look at her in worry. But before she could, she's beat by Kageyama.

"She's hiding her face to go unnoticed by her ex," Kageyama answered as if it was the most obvious thing have a stoic expression.

"WHAT?!" The boys all yell in shock, their mouth hanging open before looking at Chiaki to confirm the setter's words.

Chiaki blinks once, processing what her kouhai said. And when she does, she lightly smacks his head with a frown on her face. "Don't spread lies, Tobi-kun," she scolds, shaking her head in disbelief in slight annoyance.

"S-So, what he said isn't true?" Tanaka questions while sweating, unusually nervous to hear her response.

The silver-haired female sighed, placing a hand on her hip, "me trying to hide isn't a lie. But the person isn't an ex. I haven't even had a boyfriend before."

This makes a look of surprise to spread across Kageyama's face, the male eyeing the girl beside him with a puzzled look. "He's not?"

At the younger boy's words, Chiaki could feel her cheeks had flushed a light pink. However, the facemask she wore hid it, much to her relief. Chiaki shakes her head and takes her place beside Daichi and Sugawara, having ended the conversation with her silence.

The other boys could tell that the conversation had ended as well, Hinata and Tanaka moving to Kageyama.

"Pssst... Is what she said true, Kageyama...? She never has had a boyfriend?" Tanaka questioned, Hinata nodding in curiosity, his eyes shining.

The raven-haired boy frowned, scratching his cheek. "Uh, we all assumed they were dating back in middle school. But they never said anything officially, so I can't say, Tanaka-san," Kageyama admits, thinking back to his time in middle school. "But, they were super close to the point that we thought they were dating. The whole vibe was almost like a married couple..."

This makes Tanaka sweat drop, not being able to imagine that Chiaki, who was beginning to be known as someone unattainable, the Takane no Hana (1) of his grade to be in a relationship. Hinata, on the other hand, looks shocked by the information.

"If what she said is true... I can't believe someone as pretty as Aki-senpai never has had a boyfriend," the ginger comments in awe, "you would think she'll have suitors lining up in front of her house."

At his words, a dark look appears on Kageyama's face. He grips onto Hinata's head, making the said boy squawk in pain and surprise. "Listen here, bōke. Around Aki-senpai, there are four scary guards that wouldn't hesitate to snap your neck if you even glance at her in the wrong way. No one is worthy in their eyes..."

All the boys who heard this gulped, shaking in fear as they wondered and imagined what their setter said. Daichi, who had also heard, only paled, a faraway look appearing in his eyes, a weak laugh leaving his lips as he silently agrees to what Kageyama said.

Eventually, they all make it to the gym, although Chiaki did note that Daichi had disappeared at one point. A few moment later he had come back, dragging Tanaka, who pouted as his captain scolded him with a vein popping on his forehead. Sugawara, who saw her puzzled look, laughed seeming to be used to the specific scene.

"Tanaka probably picked a fight with the opponent team again, and Daichi must have scolded him," the silver-haired male explained, Chiaki nodding in understanding not verbally responding to her senpai. And she wasn't planning on opening her mouth any time soon. The silver-haired female hadn't spoken a single word since she walked into the gym, deciding if she had to, she'd whisper.

She felt on edge, looking around and recognizing quite a few familiar faces. When she walked past them, she kept her head down, letting her bangs cover her eyes and hide her features her mask couldn't.

And thankfully, none of them seemed to notice anything. However, Chiaki nearly flinched when Kunimi stared with his half-lidded eyes, a look of curiosity in them as they trailed after the Karasuno team. Beads of sweat trailed down the back of her neck as his gaze landed on her. Although there was no denying Kunimi had moments where he was lazy, she knew that he was one of the sharpest underclassmen she had back in middle school.

A small sigh of relief left the female's mouth as Kindaichi approached the slightly shorter boy, pulling his attention away from her.

Seeing this, Chiaki turned towards Tsukishima, the said male blinking as the female grabbed his hand.

"Wha-"

"Don't move, I'm taping your fingers for you," the silver-haired female whispered, using the tall blond's body as a shield as she began to tape his finger although he argued that he could do it himself. Chiaki paid no mind to the scowling blond, neatly taping his hand, much to his astonishment.

Tsukishima bent his fingers, scrutinizing his taped finger with narrowed eyes before looking down at the female with a condescending smile, "huh, you're not that bad."

"Two of my older brothers are middle blockers as well, I've taped their fingers all my life," Chiaki quietly explained as she put away her tape. However, she looks up in surprise as she hears a crash. Tsukishima and she both blinked as they realized a stiff Hinata had crashed into the bench, tumbling to the floor in his nervousness.

Chiaki can't help but furrow her eyebrow, growing concerned for the short boy realizing how nervous he looked. It seemed like it was the same for the third-years, all of them watching the orange-haired boy in varied levels of worry.

"Aki-senpai, don't look, but at two o'clock, Iwaizumi-san is looking over here," Kageyama whispers as he walks past her. The female is thankful for the warning, nodding in understanding before maneuvering around the team before using Daichi and Sugawara as a human shield next.

They both send her a questioning look but don't make a scene as they only share a look of confusion with each other before shrugging it off. From the corner of her eyes, Chiaki could see that, like Kageyama said, Iwaizumi was looking at her. Beside him is Kunimi, seeming to say something to his upperclassmen.

Unknown to Chiaki and a waste of her worries, the two males had no clue it was her. Instead, they were speaking about their jealousy of the Karasuno team, their other teammates joining in.

"Karasuno has two managers? How is that fair?" Hanamaki comments, running a hand through his pink hair with a pout.

Iwaizumi lets out a laugh, seeming to look a bit amused as his friend whines, "I don't think the one with silver hair is a manager though. She's wearing a medic band on her arm, she's probably their medic."

"I feel even more jealous now. A personal medic? That's kinda like a nurse, right?" Matsukawa grins, nudging Hanamaki, who also shared a similar look as him.

"Their manager is really pretty, but their medic also has a very good figure although I can't see her face with her mask," Kunimi comments, making the three years look at him a bit taken aback, not expecting him to join in their thirst conversation.

Hanamaki releases a loud laugh as he roughly grabs Kunimi, wrapping him in a headlock the younger boy immediately tries to escape, "looks like Kunimi is also a man! But you ain't wrong about figure, they're big," the male grinned, earning a smack from Iwaizumi who decided that was enough.

Kunimi looks annoyed at the comment, glaring at his senpais, who snickered at his expression.

A whistle was blown, catching everyone's attention as they gathered on the court. Chiaki wished her team a quiet good luck before taking a seat beside Shimizu, a small medical bag at her feet.

"Ah..." Both females chorused, Chiaki closing her eyes as she fights the urge to punch at the bridge of her nose.

As soon as the game started, Hinata messed up with his nerve, going after the ball even after Daichi called it. Shimizu sighed beside her, sharing a brief eye contact with Chiaki, the two females not being able to help it but let out a weak, wry laugh.

The longer the game continues, Chiaki becomes even warier, her eyes darting around the court of her team in concern. She could tell that irritation was building up in a certain freshmen setter, the dark aura seeming to leak out of his body.

Each time the orange-haired first-year messed up, Chiaki couldn't help but shift on the bench, slowly moving to sit on the edge.

"Okay! Lets steadily take back points one at a time!" Daichi encourages, an easy going smile on his face in hopes to calm his teammates. However, that freezes in place as he realizes who was serving next.

Kageyama has a similar expression, sweating as his mouth part in dread. _Of all people..._

Chiaki holds back the need to speak encouraging words, her eyes darting to the Seijoh team before looking back at Hinata, who held the volleyball looking like a small, terrified chihuahua as he shook in place.

"Kageyama," Tanaka hissed at the male in position beside him, "is Hinata okay, or did he stop breathing?" The male with a shaved head questioned as Hinata took forever to serve the ball.

In response, Kageyama spoke with an urgency in his tone, "even if you ask me, I've got no idea, Tanaka-san!" The setter hissed back. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, the ball smacked him straight on the back of his head, making him stumble a few steps forward.

_Ah..._ Chiaki and everyone thinks.

It's silent for a second before it gets broken with hysteric laughters.

Tanaka bursted out laughing first, Tsukishima quickly joining in. "Wahaha! Oi, how's the back of your head doing, Kageyama?" The wing spiker asks, holding his stomach as he cackled.

Beside him, Tsukishima was snickering, his eyes gleaming, not even bothering to hide his amusement and glee, "the back of your head is looking good, King!"

Slowly, Kageyama turns, a look of fury burning in his eyes, looking ready to lunge forward any moment.

Chiaki saw this before anyone else, jumping up to her feet, surprising Shimizu.

_"Tobi-kun, freeze!_ "

Her clear voice rang through the now silent gym, both Tanaka and Tsukishima shutting up after seeing Kageyama's angered face.

Kageyama froze just as she said, blinking while a couple of the players from Seijoh also became still as stone at the familiar voice and command.

It was a familiar code to those who went to Kitagawa Daiichi, something Chiaki had made for Kageyama when he was about to or if he did overstep his boundaries. It was suggested by Chiaki because Kageyama had the tendency of irritating Oikawa without realizing and that caused an unwanted rift in the team.

And while there were only a few people who knew it, they all knew only one person used it.

Iwaizumi stared at the female with silver hair, not being able to look away from her in disbelief. Kunimi and Kindaichi had a similar reaction, staring at Chiaki with their mouth hanging open.

"N-No way," Kindaichi hissed, nudging Kunimi, "is that seriously.....?" He didn't end his question, but Kunimi knew precisely what his friend was asking.

The boy with his hair parted in the middle nodded, his eyes narrowing, trying to get a better look at the female who was standing. "Aki-senpai is the only one who could stop Kageyama like that. And I recognize her voice."

At Chiaki's voice, Kageyama snapped out of his anger, looking at the female before nodding, letting her know he wasn't going to kill Hinata with his emotions out of whack. Seeing this, Chiaki takes a seat back down on the bench.

She looked calm. However, inwardly she was freaking out, especially when she felt a heated gaze being shot her way from the opponent court. She doesn't dare to look over, already knowing who was staring at her. _I'm going to die today. I'm going to get murdered.._. _Look at him, Hajime-senpai has gotten buff, he's going to be able to crush my head with his thighs like a watermelon...._ Thoughts like these ran through Chiaki's head as she inwardly cried at her fate.

Kageyama released a long breath, Chiaki's voice snapping him out of his anger and replacing it with a sane, calm mind. However that didn't stop him from  
slowly making his way towards Hinata, who was frozen in fear.

"W-W-Wait! Kageyama! We can talk about this!" Hinata stuttered, taking a staggering step back as the taller male loomed over him.

"Hey, you."

Hinata froze at Kageyama's voice, already being able to see his life flashing before his eyes. "Yes..." He meekly responds, his shoulders sagging.

Kageyama's sharp eyes are shaded by his bangs as he glares down at the shorter boy. "Just what are you scared of that has you so goddamn nervous? Is it because the opponents are big? Because it's your first practice match?"

Hinata can't help but break out into a sweat at the darkness that seeps out of the setter. He flinches as Kageyama's palm smacks into the back of his own head, the loud sound seeming to echo in the silent gym.

"You're saying," Kageyama slowly spoke as he continued to smack his head as Hinata watched, his sharp eyes promising murder, "that they're something even scarier than you driving a serve into the back of my head, huh? So, what is that....?"

Hinata, who's stiff as a board, looking like a baby chick getting glared at by a snake spoke in a dead tone. "Nothing, in particular, comes to mind...."

A haunting laugh leaves Kageyama's mouth, the setter continuing to smack his head to emphasize his point, "then you don't have a reason to be nervous anymore, now do you? Since you've already done the scariest thing, you can think of! So now...."

Hinata flinches, shrinking in as he sees the taller male raise his hand. But his eyes widen as his ears ring at the loud voice that comes out of Kageyama's mouth.

"HURRY UP AND GET BACK TO MOVING THE WAY YOU NORMALLY DO, YOU BŌKEEEE!!!"

Shimizu, who sat next to Chiaki, worriedly placed a hand on the younger female's shoulder, lightly shaking her, "Aki-chan, are you okay?"

A dry laugh left the silver-haired female's mouth, Chiaki looking like her soul had left her. "Shimizu-senpai, don't mind me... I'm just thinking about my death that's going to happen at the end of the game..." She dejectedly spoke, leaning her head against Sugawara's shoulder. The said male patted her head in pity, already noticing how Iwaizumi was still staring at her way.

"My death...." Chiaki trailed off, making both third-years sweatdrop.  
  
  
  


  
  
  
Both teams gathered together separately, quickly sipping water as they took a moment to discuss and have a break.

"I-Is that really, Aki-senpai?" Kindaichi questioned, his eyes darting to where Karasuno was gathered, his gaze going over to the silver-haired female with the red medical band on her arm.

Kunimi hummed as he used his shirt to wipe at his face, also looking over at the opponent team. "It has to be her. The nickname she used for Kageyama and the command. Aki-senpai is the only one who used it. And the longer I look at her, the way she stands reminds me of her," the first-year wing spiker says.

"It's definitely her," both first-years turn to Iwaizumi in surprise, not expecting the older male to be listening to their conversation. The third-year vice captain has his eyebrows furrowed as he glanced at the Karasuno team. "Chiaki has a habit of crossing her legs when she's standing. And look, she's holding hands with the silver-haired guy and Kageyama."

At his words, both first-years look over once again, realizing the spiky-haired man was right. This makes Kunimi snicker, not being able to help but find amusement in it. "It seems like Aki-senpai hasn't changed that much with her need to hold hands."

This makes Kindaichi blush, a pout on his lips. Kunimi immediately notices this, lightly smacking his friend's back, "stop pouting, it doesn't make you look cute. And it doesn't change the fact that Aki-senpai didn't hold your hand a lot. She must have picked up the vibe that you had a crush on her."

Kindaichi scowled, sending a stink eye at his friend, looking offended at what Kunimi said. "Don't bring it up, you ass. And stop being so smug cause you got to hold hands with her more than me. You can't deny that Kageyama got to hold Aki-senpai's hand more than you."

This makes an irritated look appear on Kunimi's face, the smirk getting wiped off his face. The banter between the two keeps them occupied while the third-years gather around Iwaizumi in interest.

"So, you guys know her," Matsukawa questions, the tall male eyes lighting up in interest. He briefly makes eye contact with his best friend, Hanamaki. The said pink-haired male looked eager to hear some gossip.

Iwaizumi only hums in response, not being able to look away from Chiaki, seeming to drink in her appearance after a year of her being absent from his life. "She looks different..." He whispers to himself, but his words are heard by both Matsukawa and Hanamaki, the boys' interest getting piped.

But seeing that they weren't getting the response and answer they wanted from Iwaizumi, Hanamaki wrapped a hand around Kindaichi's neck, dragging the first year to him. The boy stumbled and looked confused as he got flanked by two of his senpais.

"So, Kindaichi, tell us who that pretty girl is," Hanamaki questioned with a grin. Matsukawa nodded in agreement, not caring as Kindaichi got a bit uncomfortable under their gaze.

Kindaichi sent a look at Kunimi, hoping his friend would swoop in to help him out. But Kunimi pretends to not see, crouching down to re-tie his shoes although he obviously doesn't need to do so.

"Well?" Matsukawa questions expectantly, both he and Hanamaki getting closer to Kindaichi.

The poor boy gulped, "s-she was our senpai in middle school. Uh, she was Iwaizumi-san and Oikawa-san's kouhai. You might know her too, she's Ibato Chiaki-san, the-"

"The Dove of Miyagi," both Hanamaki and Matsukawa chorused a look of surprise on their face, looking back at where Chiaki stood in interest. Silently, the boys looked at the Karasuno team until their coach called them for their attention.  
  


🏐🏐 **EXTRA** 🏐🏐

🏐🏐 **EARLIER** **AT TOKYO** 🏐🏐

The males all panted as they lay on the floor in various states of exhaustion, sweat soaking into their athletic shirts from their sponsors.

"Who angered Coach Ibato?" Hirugami Fukurou, the twenty-three-year-old middle blocker who recently joined the team, questioned, laying on the cold floor like a starfish, his chest rising and falling. He could hear his own heart beating in his chest, his legs and arms feeling like lead.

The only response he gets are groans from his teammates, most of them looking too dead to even form proper words. Fukurou releases a sigh as he forces himself to turn over on his stomach, his muscles that are lacking oxygen screaming in protest at his movement.

After he moves, he falls back limp to the ground, only lifting his head up to look at his Coach, who has his face twisted with his arms crossed over his chest. Any idiot could tell that Ibato Hiroto was in a tremendously lousy mood.

"Alright, which dumbass made him like that?" The captain for the Schweiden Adlers' grunts, seeming to look as dead as the rest of his team, "I'm older than you all, I can't take back to back hard practice from Coach when he goes into ogre mode. Admit it right now, and your punishment won't be as harsh."

No one speaks up, not a single one of them can think of anything that comes to their mind. Realizing this, the captain's gaze moves to Fukurou, who flinches and looks away, refusing to meet eyes with the older man.

"Alright, Fukurou, as the newbie, you're tasked to find out what's causing Coach to be like that. And find what we have to do to make his mood better. Not even Coach Suzaku can stop Coach Ibato when he's like that," the captain pretends to not see the look of horror and disbelief on Fukurou's face.

It takes another second for the middle blocker to realize how serious his captain is. When he looks around for help from his teammates, he only receives a gaze of pity, or they shift their gaze away in guilt. Just as the male wishes his life goodbye, the door to the stadium opens, a head poking in.

Minato blinks as he sees the team all spread out, a look of exhaustion on their faces. His gaze shifts to where his father is, his eyes lighting up in realization, seeming to piece everything together. The man can't help the wry smile as he sends an apologetic look at the players seeing as they took the brunt of his father's anger.

"Minatooooo," Fukurou cries out his friend's name in relief, Minato immediately finding the male on the floor. Minato approaches him with a smile, helping his friend sit up with a chuckle.

"Looks like my dad's giving you guys a hard time," the eldest Ibato son comments, earning a scoff from the players.

"More like trying to kill us with practice," Fukurou grunts, giving the tall man a nod of thanks.

Minato and Fukurou were acquaintances before the latter joined the Schweiden Adlers, the two having met at camp when they were in middle school. They were the same age and had a similar passion, plus they both came from a family with a background of volleyball. When Fukurou joined the team, seeing as Minato's father was the head coach and Minato himself his assistant, the two had rekindled their friendship, often going out to dinner or drinks when they were done with their jobs.

Fukurou gripped Minato's shoulder, a desperate look appearing in his brown eyes, "please tell me what's got Coach Ibato in such a bad mood! He's going to end up killing all of us by the end of the week if he continues to be like that!"

This makes a weak laugh leave Minato's lips, immediately knowing what had made his father like that. With a sigh, Minato began to explain. "This weekend, we got a call from my mother in Miyagi. Anyways, you know about my sister, right? I'm pretty sure you met her the last time she came to visit us."

Fukurou immediately nods, "the Dove. How can I not, she left quite an impression. And she's the same age as my younger brother. So what about her?"

"Well, after her accident, she didn't want anything to do with volleyball. But this weekend, we found out she joined her high school's volleyball team," Minato explains, a small smile on his lips as he thinks about his baby sister.

Fukurou, on the other hand, has a puzzled look on his face, "shouldn't that be good news?"

"It is, that is until he found out she joined the boy's team as the team medic."

_"Oh...."_

Both males' expression scrunched up, knowing what that meant. They were both older brothers to sisters, they knew how families worked.

A silence fell over them, neither Fukurou nor Minato having the energy to say anything for a moment, a faraway look appearing in their eyes as they imagined their own sister hanging around a group of hormonal boys.

"You have anything in mind that can bring up Coach's mood?" Fukurou finally asks, remembering the reason why he was having this conversation with Minato in the first place.

A thoughtful look appeared on Minato's face before he nodded, pulling his phone out to send a text.  
  
  


  
  
  
Chiaki blinked, pulling her phone out, feeling it buzz in her pocket as she waited outside of the bus, being the first one to arrive. She opens the text from Minato, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.  
  
  
  
  
  


**________________________________**

**Minato-nii-san:**

S.O.S. please text _'I love you, Daddy. Miss seeing you, and have a good day at work. Don't be a mean coach, okay?_ ' to Dad, ASAP. If not, our family might get sued for mass murder. 

_Received: 3:08 PM_   
  
  


**_________________________________**   
  
  
  
  
  


While confused, Chiaki does as she is asked before slipping her phone back into her pocket as Shimizu approaches her with a small smile.  
  
  


  
  
  
Fukurou and Minato silently watched as Hiroto pulled out his phone when it pinged in his pocket. The said man's face that was a stony mask of an ogre seemed to melt in front of their eyes, his cheeks dusting a shade of pink. Fukurou's mouth is hanging to the floor as Hiroto beams, his lousy mood just a moment ago seeming like a joke.

"Alright, men! Good job today! You're dismissed early!" Hiroto hollers with a broad smile on his face, not seeming to notice the look of disbelief that's sent his way by his players. The said man, almost skips out of the gym, leaving all his players in his dust.

Minato flashes his friend a peace sign.

From that moment, between the Schweiden Adlers' players, Ibato Chiaki was known as the team's goddess, the only person who can help them when Hiroto's bad mood went out of hand.  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐🏐TERMS🏐🏐

Takane no Hana 高嶺の花: - Literally translated as, "Flower on a high peak." It means "something out of one's reach." Some things are beautiful to look at, but realistically, there is no way you can get them. The object might be something that you want very much but can't have.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyy, Minato's look is finally revealed!! Many of you may recognize him but he looks like Yamasaki Sousuke from Free! He inherited his mother, Minako's, dark brown hair and droopy eyes but Hiroto's eye color! He's actually almost a Carbon copy of Hiroto on the face and body structure except for his eyes and height! He's taller than Hiroto, being the tallest in the Ibato household!
> 
> Don't forget to vote and comment to let me know how you think of the story so far! Did you like the extra, haha.
> 
> Next update: Chapter 7 | Ahiru-chan is coming out on October 16th, 2020.
> 
> -Ember
> 
> Posted: October 2, 2020


	8. Ahiru-chan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 6.6 k

🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐🏐

"Aki-senpai, he won't stop staring this way," Kageyama stated matter-of-factly as he and the team gathered together, thanking Shimizu as she handed out water bottles.

Chiaki has a faraway look in her grey eyes, life seemed to be drained out of her. "I know, Tobi-kun. If looks could kill, I'll be dead by now," she grumbles. Eventually, she breathes out all the anxiety in her chest, deciding it would be better to not think about it for now.

But she doesn't dare to look over, not wanting there to be the chance where she might make eye contact with Iwaizumi. Instead, she grips onto Sugawara and Kageyama's hands, squeezing them tight.

"Hinata," the ginger blinks at the soft voice that calls out his name, his excited gaze shifting to their team medic who stands beside Kageyama and Sugawara. Chiaki lets go of her friend's hands as she kneels in front of the boy, pointing to his feet.

"?" Hinata cocks his head to the side in confusion and lifts his feet up when the older female motions him to do so.

What no one expects is for her to slip his shoe off, holding his sock covered feet.

"Wha-?!" Hinata breaks out in panic, "A-Aki-senpai! It's dirty and sweaty don't--"

Chiaki paid no mind as she presses her thumb into the sole of his feet, making Hinata freeze up, a sharp pained gasp leaving his lips. "Owwwwww! Ouchhh! Owwww!" He yelps, crumbling to the floor and trying to pull away from Chiaki.

The said girl shows no mercy, having a firm grip on Hinata's leg while he wiggled. "When you jump, land off here, it'll probably help you make higher jumps," Chiaki silently explains, pressing onto the part once more, leaving Hinata panting with tears in his eyes in slight pain. He's almost lifeless as the silver-haired female does the same to the other foot.

However, when Hinata climbs back onto his feet, beads of sweat on his cheek, a look of surprise spreads on his face, bouncing a bit on the sole of his feet, "eh?! I feel lighter!"

Chiaki smiles at that before wiping her hand on a clean wet towel. But Kageyama, who gets irritated by the shorter boy's excitement, smacks him on the head. "Stop wasting your energy, bōke! And-" the boy pauses, a look of seriousness flashing in his eyes, catching all of their attention, "don't let your guard down. I'm not entirely sure, but the setter over there probably isn't their regular."

Chiaki releases a quiet hum, nodding, "Tobi-kun is right. I don't see him around right now, but their regular setter isn't playing," she says, thinking about the caramel brown-haired setter. Thinking about him leaves a slightly unpleasant flavor in her mouth, seeing as their relationship was pretty strained in the past.

Hearing Chiaki and Kageyama's words, a look of unease and surprise flashes in the Karasuno teams' eyes before a whistle is blown, signifying the resume of the practice match.

Just as the whistle is blown, the piercing screams of girls echo through the gym, Chiaki flinching at the familiar sound. Her face scrunched up in distaste, her eyes automatically moving to the door to see a familiar male step in.

"Looks like their main setter finally showed up," she whispers. Hearing her words, Sugawara follows her gaze to see the male she stared at. Chiaki could see Kageyama stiffen at the presence of Oikawa.

"Do you know him, Aki-chan?" The silver-haired male questioned the female beside him, Chiaki nodding as she adjusted the face mask she wore, keeping it on although her identity was probably already found out by Iwaizumi.

Chiaki pushed a fringe of hair behind her ear as she spoke, her words getting a bit muffled by the mask, "he was Tobi-kun and my senpai in middle school. He has a pretty nasty personality, but his ability as a setter and server is a real deal," the teen pauses, her grey eyes following Oikawa as he begins to warm up. "He's probably the one who requested Tobi-kun to set for the whole game."

A dark look appears on Sugawara's face, something Chiaki doesn't miss from the corner of her eyes.

"Suga-senpai," the called male hums, his eyes on the court as the game continues, "I'm actually glad they made that request."

These are not words he was expecting from Chiaki, a look of hurt briefly flashing in his brown eyes. Before he could say anything, Chiaki was speaking.

"They don't know a player like you exists on our team, all of their attention is on Tobi-kun. Tobi-kun is a good setter, but he's not perfect either, and there are times when we'll probably have to pull him out to cool his head. That's when your ability will really shine, Suga-senpai. If we play Seijoh at Interhigh, they'll underestimate us, and that'll put us at an advantage," Chiaki quietly explains as Sugawara takes in her words. He clenched his fist and nodded, seeing her point. And what she said made him realize he has to work harder.

Chiaki smiles as she sees the determined look appear on the face of the male beside her. However, the smile doesn't stay on her face for long as Oikawa steps onto the court, warmed up, and ready to play. Her eyes darted to the scoreboard, seeing that they were on their third game, twenty-one to twenty-four, Karasuno winning. However, she was getting a feeling that with Oikawa joining, the game's flow would significantly change.

"I never liked his serves, he can be pretty accurate," Chiaki admits, Sugawara looking at her with an eyebrow raised.

"Says Miss Dove, who had both spike jump serves and float serves under her belt," Sugawara sends a stink eye to the female beside him who shrugged her shoulder, "you were known for that, and you act like it's nothing."

Chiaki releases a small chuckle with a shake of her head. "A part of my past, Suga-senpai. I probably can't even do it now, I haven't held a volleyball on the court for over a year. I've lost my touch," she admits a bit of sadness in her tone. However, she doesn't really think of it, seeing as her attention gets pulled onto the court.

Oikawa spun the ball, before holding it easily with one hand as he pointed at Tsukishima. In response, Tsukishima's eyebrows furrowed, not seeming to understand that action. Chiaki, on the other hand, pinched the bridge of her nose as Oikawa blatantly declared to them who he was aiming at. _He's going to aim for those who are weak at receiving..._

Chiaki sucks in a breath as the loud smack echoed through the gym as Oikawa's palm smacked into the red, green, and white ball, it flying over the net and making its way to Tsukishima. A look of shock flashed on many of the Karasuno teams' faces, taken aback at the shot's accuracy.

The blond glassed male isn't able to receive the ball as it ricochets off his forearms and smacks into the second story rail where students watched.

Chiaki can't help the shiver that ran down her back, her lips twitching into a smile as she imagined the familiar sting. _He's gotten even better than the last time I've seen him..._ She can almost feel it against her own skin, her fingers twitching, silently wanting to play herself.

"Yup, just as I thought. I noticed it while I was stretching, but," Oikawa spoke, a pleasant smile on his face as he placed one of his hands on his hip, eyeing two Karasuno players, "you, number six and you, number five, are bad at receives, right?"

Getting blatantly called out, both Hinata and Tsukishima grimaces, the former looking more dejected at the observation made of them.

"His control is insane," Sugawara gapes as Oikawa aims for Tsukishima again, the same thing happening as the blond isn't able to receive his strong serves.

Chiaki silently watches as Daichi moves, placing Tsukishima a bit behind him and expanding his defensive sphere seeing as he specialized in receives. However, she only narrows her eyes, having a feeling that wasn't really going to help.

As just as she had assumed, it doesn't help that much, Oikawa has enough control to still aim at the glassed-male. But this time, Tsukishima is somewhat able to bring the ball up, although it was a chance ball for the opponent team.

From there, everything moved quickly, Takeda, who was still new to the sport having trouble keeping up. Chiaki silently watched as her teammates cheered when Hinata was able to slow Kindaichi's ball.

The corner of the silver-haired female's lips tugged up as Kageyama moved to set the ball as Hinata sprinted across the net, leaping into the air. Chiaki almost felt the satisfaction herself as Hinata slammed the ball down, earning the final point for the practice match.

However, at the same time, the female gulped, dread dripping into her veins, a fearful shiver running down her back.  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
"Aki-chan, are you okay?" Daichi questioned as their lifeless medic opened and closed their emergency box for the hundredth time, although she had already cleaned up everything she needed.

Hearing her name, the said female looked up, just staring at the captain, making Daichi's smile twitch. _She's not okay...!?_ He thinks along with Sugawara, who stood next to him.

"C-Can we leave before their team is finished with cleaning?" Chiaki whimpered, leaping onto Daichi, twisting her head side to side into his chest like a drill.

Her action makes them laugh, but they don't realize how dead serious Chiaki is. When they brush it off, she pouts, hiding behind them as they line up to bow at the opponent team. Silently she stays with Shimizu, shrinking herself although she is taller than the older girl.

She glances at Kunimi and Kindaichi, briefly making eye contact with them. And Chiaki can't help but smile at them behind her mask, being able to see the ghost of a smile on Kunimi's lips and the blush that covers Kindaichi's face.

She lightly waves at them before rushing out of the gym as soon as Takeda-sensei calls out to the team to leave. Chiaki feels the anxiety that was built in her chest getting released as she catches sight of Iwaizumi talking to their coach as they cleaned up the gym. The said male is distracted with the conversation, not noticing the Karasuno team slipping out.

As soon as they're out and away from the gym, Chiaki pulls the face mask down to her chin, inhaling fresh air. To many of her teammates' amusement, she keeps glancing back with a look of worry, looking anxious to get out of Seijoh's campus.

Eventually, Sugawara grabbed her hand, squeezing it to assure the female, Chiaki visibly relaxing at the contact much to his hidden amusement.

"You know," Daichi spoke, catching all of their attention, "with today's match, I realized something. No matter how excellent Hinata and Kageyama's combo may be, frankly, when it comes to strengthening the perimeter, we're still extremely weak. It's frustrating to admit," the dark-haired third-years says, gritting his teeth.

At his words, both Chiaki and Sugawara nod, knowing what Daichi said was true.

"Heh, as expected of the captain~"

Chiaki flinches, Sugawara wincing as the grip she had on his hand tightened. All of their eyes moved to the male that leaned against the Seijoh gate, grinning widely as he observed the team.

Okinawa pushed off the brick wall, turning to face the Karasuno team, "I'm glad you seem to understand the situation."

Chiaki immediately ducked behind Tanaka as the male stepped forward, looking ready to pick a fight. "What the hell, you wanna fight, huh?" Tanaka hissed, his sharp eyes gleaming with annoyance, Hinata bouncing behind him, egging him on.

In response, Oikawa only laughs, waving his hand in front of him. "Aww, don't be so aggressive, I've only come to give you my greetings," the brunet chuckled, his eyes narrowing on Hinata. "Hey you, the little guy. That last one-touch and broad attack was amazing."

Oikawa's words make Hinata flustered, the orange-haired boy bashfully rubbing the back of his head while giggling. Kageyama sends an irritated look at Hinata, a small ' _tsk_ ' leaving his lips, seeing how easily Oikawa's words made him bashful.

"Today, I was only able to join in for the last few points, but next time, let's compete at full throttle from the start, okay?" Oikawa smiled. However, his expression became a bit condescending, "ah, and that's right. Be sure to improve your receives and serves."

At his words, the Karasuno team became rigid, being able to tell that the Seijoh captain's atmosphere had changed. "Your attacks were certainly incredible, but if all of your early receives are slow and hesitant, you'll reach your limit sooner, don't you think?"

Chiaki slowly let Sugawara's hand go, stepping forward as she slipped her face mask back on. However, Okinawa doesn't seem to notice her, his eyes landing on Kageyama. "I'm not the only one who hits an intensely strong serve. The inter-high preliminaries are coming up. I'll be troubled if you don't be able to survive, seeing as I," Oikawa's hand shoots out, pointing his finger to Kageyama's face, "want to crush my uselessly adorable kouhai in a regular game fair and square as a setter."

Just as Oikawa was about to pull his hand back, a soft hand wraps around his finger, squeezing it. His eyes widened as a silver-haired female appeared in front of him. _She's reasonably tall._.. is the first thought he has. However, that thought quickly gets pushed to the side as he blinks, staring at her visible eyes.

Eyes that are familiar, but he can't quite place where he's seen them.

"Eh? Did you want to hold hands with me, Mane-chan? You're really cute and bold, Oikawa-san is shy!" Oikawa speaks in third-person as he flashes Chiaki a smile.

However, his eyes widened, the smile disappearing from his face as she speaks, finally figuring out why her eyes are familiar.

"I'm not a manager, I'm a medic," the silver-haired teen corrects, her eyes narrowing to two slits as she smiled. Her grip around the finger she held tightened, making Oikawa wince, his eyes widening at the strength. "Were you not taught that pointing at people is rude by your parents, Oikawa-San? And even if they didn't, I know for a fact Hajime-senpai has multiple times."

The brunet can't help but take a staggering step back, his mouth opening and closing, and not producing proper words. Chiaki lets his hand go and smiles, her legs subconsciously getting crossed as she stands in front of the taller male.

"Y-Y-You...?!"

"Thank you for your concern, Oikawa-san. But my team will be fine, I'll make sure that you'll see a more stable team by inter-high. I'll personally make sure they deserve where they stand," Chiaki sweetly says, her eyes narrowing into a smile, although her mask hides her lips.

"EEHH?!" Oikawa finally yells, "are you seriously- GEH!" The male isn't able to finish his sentence as a shoe smack him straight into his nose.

Chiaki can't help but flinch as the shoe slips down the surface of his face, falling to the ground pitifully. She's almost surprised that Oikawa's nose wasn't bleeding at the speed and strength the shoe hit him.

"I-Iwa-chan!!!" Oikawa whined, covered his nose with his hand as tears stung at the corner of his eyes. Chiaki sucked in a quick breath at the nickname Oikawa has for his best friend, not daring to move or look back.

She's nearly shaking, almost hyperventilating as Oikawa stares at the figure standing behind them, the male stomping towards them with a glare.

"Oi, Kuzukawa! How dare you skip out on cleaning and instead pick a fight with another school!" Iwaizumi hissed, not seeming to care that he was barefoot for one of his feet.

Oikawa released another whine, "b-but, I had to talk to Tobio-chan! And can you believe it?! Ahiru-chan is here too!!!"

A look of confusion flashed in Karasunos' eyes. They could tell that the nickname was probably for Chiaki, but they couldn't understand why and only silently observes what was happening in front of them in interest. Daichi and Sugawara were the only ones silently wondering if they should step in, seeing as Chiaki was frozen.

A vein popped on Iwaizumi's forehead and arm as he stomped towards Oikawa, walking past a frozen Chiaki and smacking the back of his captain's head again. "Oi, stop giving people rude nicknames, Kusokawa!"

"Eh? But Ahiru-Chan is a cute nickname! She always used to follow after you like a little duckling! You know best that she follows after people she's attached to just like a baby duck that imprint on its parent!" Oikawa released a pitiful whine as he gets hit multiple times by his best friend.

 _Ah..._ The others who heard the explanation all held in a laugh, realizing what Oikawa said was true. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi covered their mouth with their hand, holding in a snicker realizing Chiaki really was like a duckling desperately following after their parents, aka, Sugawara and Daichi. Even the said two can't help but think of her as a duckling after it's mentioned. Sugawara holds in a laugh, an image of Chiaki in a little duckling form following Daichi popping in his mind.

Oikawa continues to babble, his eyes wide as he stared at Chiaki, his gaze moving from head to toe, "is that really Ahiru-Chan? Like, wow, there's growth! Like a huge growth! Like ' _boing_!'" Oikawa, who was insensitive, moves his hand to his chest, which makes all the male blush as they realize what he's talking about. Sugawara and Daichi glare at their team, daring them to look at Chiaki in that way, Tanaka and Hinata looking ready to explode at any moment, heat seeming to escape from the top of their head.

Iwaizumi's eyes twitched as he raises his fist again, punching Oikawa's head, this time not holding back as much. "Shuddup Erokawa!" He snaps before picking his shoe off the ground and slipping it on.

Chiaki is frozen stiff like a statue, seeming to lose feeling to all of her limbs. She isn't able to hear anything either, the conversation sounding like a bee's low buzz. She desperately wants to turn around and run the other way, but everything feels like it was cut off from her brain.

The silver-haired teen can only release a squeak as Iwaizumi slowly turns to her, his sharp eyes landing on her. Her mouth opens and closes behind her mask, no sound leaving her lips.

Her eyes are shaking as Iwaizumi takes a step forward, his eyebrows furrowed with his mouth tugged down in a frown he always wears. He takes another step. And another. And another followed after that. Until he was right in front of her, only a few centimeters away from her. She doesn't even stop him as he lifts a hand up, pulling her mask away from her face before ripping it off.

His face softened as he took a good look at her face.

"Chiaki."

Chiaki nearly bursts into tears at the way Iwaizumi says her name. It was a mixture of relief and sadness. The silver-haired female bite onto her bottom lip, desperately holding in the tears as she looks into Iwaizumi's green eyes.

The other who watched almost felt like they were intruding. Hinata's cheeks flush pink as he thinks what he's currently witnessing was like a movie scene of an intimate reunion between a couple.

Iwaizumi doesn't say anything as he silently opens his arm, looking at her expectantly. And Chiaki doesn't need any other permission before jumping into his chest, hugging him tightly as a quiet sob left her mouth.

"H-Hajime-senpai...! I-I-I'm so sorry! I-I—"Chiaki can't even make a proper sentence as she blabbers into his chest, tears finally leaving her eyes and creating a small stain on his white track jacket.

Iwaizumi only wraps strong arms around her, hugging her close. His hand lightly petting the back of her dyed hair, still adjusting to her new hair color. He sends a glare at Oikawa, who _'awww_ 'ed. The Karasuno team, on the other hand, isn't keeping up, not exactly understanding what was happening. Most of them are sending the crying Chiaki a concerned look, not knowing what to do. Daichi is almost thinking of stepping forward to make sure his friend is okay. But someone beats him to it.

Kageyama, who silently watched this, finally stepped forward, catching everyone's attention. The said boy's dark eyes stare straight at the older boy without wavering. "Iwaizumi-san, I'm sure there's a lot of things you need to talk to Aki-senpai. And we came here on the bus."

With just those words, Iwaizumi had a reasonably good idea what the younger boy was trying to suggest, knowing the female's tendency with motion sickness.

"I'll take her home," the spiky-haired male stated without hesitation, patting Chiaki's head as she sniffled, small hiccups leaving her mouth. An uncertain look was on many of the Karasuno boys' faces, wanting to argue against leaving their teammate behind when she was vulnerable. But seeing the particular look of trust on Kageyama's face, they don't speak up, silently climbing onto the bus as Takeda called them to hurry up.

Daichi and Sugawara are the last to climb onto the bus, the former sending a warning look at Iwaizumi before stepping onto the vehicle. Sugawara, on the other hand, gives the fellow vice-captain a polite smile.

"We'll leave Aki-chan in your care," the silver-haired male states friendly. But Iwaizumi can see the warning gleam in Sugawara's eyes, stiffly nodding. Seeing this, Sugawara reached out, patting Chiaki's head briefly before stepping onto the bus. The boys all looked out the window as the bus began moving, leaving the Seijoh campus.

"Oi, Kageyama, was it really a good idea leaving Aki-senpai?" Hinata questioned out loud, all the boys turning their attention to the setter who was munching on a protein bar.

At the question, the raven-haired male turned to the ginger, swallowing his bar and crushing the wrapper in his hand. "Yeah, Aki-senpai had a special relationship with Iwaizumi-San in middle school. There's a lot of things she hasn't told him after her accident, and it was a good chance to do that. And she'll rather take the train home then be on the bus."

"But, leaving her with that guy..." Tanaka grumbled, suddenly remembering the violence Iwaizumi showed when he hit Oikawa.

Looking at his senpai's face, Kageyama had an idea of what he was thinking of. "Iwaizumi-San may be a bit rough with Oikawa-San, but he would never hurt Aki-senpai," the boy assured, pulling out a banana next from his bag, peeling it as he spoke. "They've known her much longer than me. I think they met when they were around nine or ten. Iwaizumi-san is as protective of Aki-senpai as her brothers."

Hearing this, Daichi closed his eyes, looking a bit sick. "Three is enough..." He whispered, his words not being heard by anyone else.

With the Karasuno bus gone, Iwaizumi releases a grunt and turns towards Oikawa, who was silently watching everything. But with a simple glance, Iwaizumi can see that it was taking everything in his friend's power to stay quiet. It looked like Oikawa was holding himself back from laughing out loud and making fun of Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi clicked his tongue, his arm still wrapped around Chiaki, the female's head pressed into his shoulder as she gripped his jacket. "Don't you fucking say anything, Kusokawa, I'll beat the shit out of you," the spiky-haired male grumbled, his cheeks flushing a bit.

Oikawa snickered at his friend's embarrassment. But doesn't say anything, lazily waving a hand in the air, "I'll go back to the gym, Iwa-chan! I'll let Coach know you got caught up on something," the brunet chirped as he skipped away, not even glancing at Chiaki.

With Oikawa finally gone, Iwaizumi looked around, finally realizing that they weren't precisely somewhere that's private, being in front of the school gate. Glancing at Chiaki, he gripped her slightly smaller hand, pulling her along towards the back of the gym where people didn't walk often.

"Oi, stop crying," Iwaizumi sighed, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck. Chiaki couldn't help but giggle while sniffling, her hand coming to rub at her eyes that were still wet.

"You're still bad at comforting people, Hajime-senpai," Chiaki sniffed while laughing.

This makes Iwaizumi pout a bit, before he reaches forward, grabbing her hand to stop her from rubbing at her eye, "stop making fun of me. And stop rubbing at your eyes as well, you're making them redder," the male gently scolded, using his thumb to brush under her eyes, lightly going over her beauty mark under her right eye.

Chiaki giggles, finding his light touches ticklish. But she doesn't pull away, letting the older male wipe at her tears as she looks up at his face. She noted that the little amount of baby fat Iwaizumi had the last time she had seen him was utterly gone, his facial structure maturing out and looking more like a young man. He seemed to grow into his body, muscles replaced scrawny arms and legs, his height a bit taller too. Iwaizumi Hajime was no longer the same adolescent she had know. 

Iwaizumi can't help but feel his lips tug up as Chiaki gave him a messy smile, the corner of her eyes red from crying. He patted her head once before speaking, "I'll take you home. I just have to grab my bag from the gym, and I think I have some eye drops in my locker for you."

Secretly, Chiaki feels thankful that Iwaizumi doesn't immediately suggest that they talk, although she knows the boy desperately wants to. So, she pats her chest down, intaking a shuddering breath to calm herself, using her jacket sleeve to wipe her nose to make sure nothing dripped. Iwaizumi patiently waits as he watches her, his fingers lightly brushing against her eyelashes, taking a droplet off a tear that stuck to them.

When Chiaki deemed she looked presentable enough after looking at herself in her phone camera, Iwaizumi led her to grab his bag so they could leave.

Kindaichi and Kunimi both blinked in surprise as they turned their head to the gym door when they heard it open. While they had expected their vice-captain to come in through the door seeing as he was the only one missing, they didn't expect the silver-haired female in a black tracksuit to follow in after him.

Both first years quickly see that Chiaki no longer had a mask covering her face, allowing those in the gym to get a good look at her.

Hanamaki released a low whistle, his eyes widening a fraction before he nudged Matsukawa next to him.

In response, Matsukawa gulps the mouthful of water he has in his mouth, nearly spitting it out. "Wow..."

Hearing his friend's words, Hanamaki nods, dazedly watching as Chiaki follows after Iwaizumi while clutching the back of his jacket. "How is it fair that Karasuno has two pretty girls on the team? Hell, what is she doing with Iwaizumi?" The pink-haired male questioned with his eyes wide as he processed what he was witnessing.

When no one answered him, he turned his head to Oikawa, who was packing up his volleyball shoes, a small pout on his face. Oikawa pretends to act like he doesn't notice the look he was getting from his pink-haired friend, angrily stuffing his bag with his items.

"Aki-senpai, it was really you," Chiaki nearly jumped out of her skin at the voice behind her. Turning her head, she sees two tall figures, a small smile spreading on her face.

Iwaizumi, on the other hand, nodded at his teammates, deciding that he'll go get his stuff from the locker room while they spoke to Chiaki.

"Kindaichi-kun, Kunimi-chan. You've grown in height," the silver-haired female smiled as she let Iwaizumi go, facing her two former underclassmen.

Kindaichi barely can hide the flush in his cheek as he witnessed the older girl's warm smile, suddenly feeling like he was back in the first year of middle school when he had first met her.

Kunimi, on the other hand, frowns a bit. Before Chiaki could even say anything, the younger boy reaches out, his finger pinching her cheek and squeezing.

"K-Kunimi!" Kindaichi gasps in panic, his eyes widened because he hadn't expected his friend to take such action.

The wing spiker ignores his friend and pinches harder, stretching Chiaki's cheek with an icy close-eyed smile. "Aki-senpai, is that the only thing you can say after going missing for the last year? You've grown taller? I'm sure there's other things to say, don't you think, senpai?"

"Iamm sowwy, pweave fohgeav meh!" Chiaki mumbles as best as she could. She winces, a low whine leaving her lips as the taller boy finally lets her go. With teary eyes, Chiaki rubs at her sore and red cheeks, pouting a bit as Kunimi crosses his arm over his chest and stares down at the girl with a scowl.

"I'll forgive you if you bring me a box of salted caramel the next time I see you at a match," Kunimi grumbles as he turns on his heel and walks off. Chiaki and Kindaichi are left in surprise, watching as the boy disappears from their sight as he enters the locker room.

Kindaichi seemed to snap out of his shock and turn to face Chiaki, his eyebrows furrowing, "a-ah, Aki-senpai... I'm sorry about that guy, I don't know why he was like that," the boy gives her an apologetic look, his eyes moving back to the locker room Kunimi disappeared into.

Chiaki waves a hand in her air, "don't apologize, Kindaichi-kun. I deserved that. I'm sorry to you too, Kindaichi-kun." She sends the younger boy a sad smile as she continues to rub the pain out of her cheek.

Kindaichi flushes and awkwardly scratches the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed to be under Chiaki's attention. Chiaki, on the other hand, looks at the taller boy, humming to herself.

"But I wasn't kidding about you and Kunimi-chan growing taller. It's really amazing to see how you boys grow so tall in just a year. You two and Tobi-kun were shorter than me in middle school, but now, you're all probably over 180 cm," Chiaki offhandedly comments, a fond smile spreading on her face.

Kindaichi opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a hand slams into his back, making him flinch.

"Oi, Kindaichi, are you not going to introduce her to us?" Hanamaki questioned, a grin spreading across his face.

Behind him, Matsukawa stands with an equally mischievous smile, the dark-haired male giving Chiaki a nod of greeting.

While taken aback at their sudden appearance, the silver-haired female recognized them looking at their faces. "Number 3, Hanamaki Takahiro-San and Number 2 Matsukawa Issei-san, right? I'm Ibato Chiaki, nice to meet you," the female is quick to name the two players from the earlier game and roster and introduced herself, placing a friendly smile on her face.

Both boys seemed to be taken aback at her knowing their names. But they are both quick to recover, smiling at her in greeting.

"Well, Ibato-chan, why are you still here? Didn't your team already leave?" Hanamaki asked the million-dollar question, the others who were silently listening a few feet away, perking their ears up in curiosity.

But before she could answer, a voice beat her to it. "Don't bother Aki-chan too much, guys. Iwa-Chan's going to get angry."

Chiaki blinks, not expecting Oikawa to join into the conversation. She became even more surprised as the male placed a hand on her shoulder as he stood behind her, squeezing it gently with his hand. She can't help but stare at his face with her eyebrows furrowed, not really understanding the situation she's in.

Oikawa was touching her. On his own account...

_What?_

Chiaki had known Oikawa for a reasonably long time. If people asked if they were childhood friends, she wouldn't deny it. Although she wasn't quite sure if they could count as friends seeing as Oikawa didn't really like her.

But right now, Oikawa Tooru was smiling down at her sweetly, pulling her away from his teammates and creating a small distance. At this, she can't help but raise an eyebrow, trying to understand the tall Seijoh captain's motive. After a moment, she realized that was something she just couldn't seem to find.

"What's going on?"

Oikawa lifts his hand off Chiaki's shoulder as he hears Iwaizumi's voice. He spins on his heel and faces his best friend with a beam, "nothing, Iwa-chan! We were just introducing Aki-Chan to everyone! Are you ready to take her home?"

Iwaizumi sends Oikawa an uncertain look, his eyebrows furrowed as he stares at the cheery brunet, seeming to try to figure out if what he was saying was true. But he eventually brushes it off, nodding as he peered over Oikawa's shoulder to look at Chiaki.

"Ready, Chiaki?" He questions, his hand automatically going out to her. Without hesitation, Chiaki grabs it, holding it tightly as she nods.

"I'll let Coach know you dipped, leave the rest to me," Oikawa chirped as he waved lazily at Iwaizumi, who nodded in thanks.

Oikawa kept the smile on his face until Iwaizumi and Chiaki were out of the gym, the door closing behind them. When they were gone from his sight, he released a low groan, falling onto the ground in a squat as he roughly scratched his head, messing up his styled hair.

His team watched him in confusion as Oikawa seemed to be fighting his inner dilemma, mumbling under his breath.

"What the hell is wrong with him," Matsukawa questioned, his thick eyebrows furrowing together as he watched as Oikawa continued to mumble under his breath, sounding almost like a mantra of curses.

Hanamaki shrugged, not seeming to care, finding Oikawa acting weird as a part of their typical day. Instead, he stared at the door, his mind on something else that was definitely not normal in their everyday life.

"Someone please tell me I was not hallucinating. Cause I swear I thought I saw Iwaizumi walk out of here holding a cute girl's hand," the pink-haired male spoke out loud. At his words, the others seemed to realize that what he said was indeed true, multiple gasps echoing through the loud gym.

"That's just something he does with Aki-senpai. It's a calming mechanism for her."

They all blink in surprise as they see Kunimi with his bag thrown over his shoulder, lazily moving to the door. The said boy mutters a quiet, " _chissu_ ," a goodbye as he steps out of the gym. Seeing this, Kindaichi also grabs his bag, scrambling after his friend he usually walks home with, leaving a mumbling Oikawa and the rest of their teammates confused.  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐🏐 **EXTRA** 🏐🏐  
  
  


"Oi, Kunimi! Wait up!" Kindaichi called out, scowling as the said boy does the absolute opposite as he ignored the middle blocker. Kindaichi stares at his friend's side profile when he finally catches up, Kunimi refusing to acknowledge him. "Why're you in such a bad mood, Kunimi?" Kindaichi finally questioned, his eyebrows furrowing.

Kunimi doesn't respond, his own eyebrows knitted together, his lips pulled in a small pout, obviously in a bad mood. Even his steps seemed to be heavier than usual, stomping as they walked to the closest train station.

"I would have thought you would have been happier seeing Aki-senpai again."

Kindaichi can't help but raise an eyebrow as Kunimi finally showed a reaction to his words, the wing spiker's face softening for a brief second before hardening again. The male finally releases a sigh, the tension seeming to leave his shoulder.

"Yeah, but it pisses me off," Kunimi clicked his tongue, his hands stuffed into his sweatshirt's pocket. He briefly shifts his gaze to the taller male for a moment before looking forward again. "Out of all the people, Kageyama ends up going to the same school as Aki-senpai."

This makes Kindaichi pause for a moment, thinking about Kunimi's words. During that time, he stopped walking, standing in the middle of the street as the boy with parted hair continued forward.

Realizing this, Kindaichi jogged to catch up to Kindaichi again, now wearing a similar scowl to what Kunimi has on his face. "Why do you have to put it like that? Now, I'm annoyed too," the boy grumbled, seeming to sulk a bit.

The two silently stand at the train station, the area fairly crowded with salarymen and students returning home from work and club activities.

"But don't you think Aki-senpai has gotten even prettier than the last time we saw her?" Kindaichi finally broke the silence, staring at the crowd of people that passed around him.

"She has always been pretty," is the immediate response he receives from Kunimi.

Flustered, Kindaichi scratched his cheek, his cheeks painting a light pink. "Yeah, but like... Like today, when I saw her, it just seemed like there was this air around her? An air of a mature woman? She was someone already eye-catching in middle school, but I didn't expect her to be able to become even more pretty," Kindaichi sighed, seeming to be going into a daydream.

Kunimi was about to give out his own response but held it in as he felt his heart leap into his mouth as he caught sight of who stood behind them from the corner of his eyes.

"That's really sweet of you, Kindaichi-kun. I actually feel a bit embarrassed."

Kindaichi stiffened before slowly turning around, looking like a machine that needs to get oiled with how rigid his movement is. Chiaki stands there, a look of amusement on her face. Beside her, Iwaizumi stands with his arm crossed over his chest. The older male looks just as amused as the female beside him, the corner of his lips tugged up into a small smirk.

"I-I-I! A-Aki-senpai....! Did y-you h-hear all o-of t-that?!" Kindaichi spluttered in a stuttering mess, going red all the way to his ears, standing up straight and rigid as if he got struck by lightning.

Chiaki sent the boy an apologetic smile as she tucked a strand of her fringe behind her ear. "Yeah, before Kunimi-chan responded to you... You two seemed to be talking, and I didn't want to interrupt," the silver-haired female smiled a bit shyly.

Hearing this, Kunimi's own cheeks flushed, realizing she had also heard him. Silently, he wished that he could rewind time by ten minutes, embarrassment seeming to eat him from the inside.

And his friend was no better. If Kindaichi was alone, he was sure he would have crumbled down to his knee and covered his face with his hand.

"Oi, Chiaki, that's the train you said we have to take, right?" Iwaizumi called as he noticed a train entering the station on the opposite side. Seeing him point at it, Chiaki nodded before looking at both Kunimi and Kindaichi, who looked appalled, avoiding any eye contact with her.

"Sorry, boys, get home safely," Chiaki called, smiling and waving at the two of them in goodbye before getting pulled along by Iwaizumi. The said male sent the two younger boys a look of amusement that promised to tease the next time they saw each other again.

Watching them enter the train, Iwaizumi protecting Chiaki from the crowd of people that hustled into the vehicle, Kunimi finally spoke up.

"Kill me, this is your fault, Kindaichi."

"My fault?!" Kindaichi squeaked out, his voice cracking at how flustered he was, "I had a whole damn monologue of me saying how pretty she is. I want to be the one dead!"  
  
  


  
🏐🏐 **OIKAWA NAME TRANSLATIONS** 🏐🏐

 _Kusokawa_ \- Shit x Oikawa

 _Erokawa-_ pervert x Oikawa

 _Kuzukawa_ \- Trash x Oikawa

🏐🏐 **Terms:** 🏐🏐

 _Mane-chan:_ aka. Manager-chan, Mane-chan, is often used as a nickname for managers. It is used even in Haikyuu a couple of times!

 _Ahiru-_ duck in Japanese  
  
  
  
  
  


  
**posted 10/16/2020**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! So the new Haikyuu season has started and I'm super mixed feelings about it, haha. I'm sure you've all seen people making fun of the crappy art of the second episode, not gonna lie, I was pretty shocked lmfao.
> 
> Also, there was a slight change to one of the characters. So originally, I had Chiaki's former teammate who was a libero named Takanashi Misaki (the girl that Chiaki pushed out of the way of the motorcycle and got into her accident) Well, with the new season, we kinda found out the name of the girl with the Goshiki bowl cut at the credit roll at the end and it was Komezawa Maiko. So now that we learned her name, I changed it to that from Takanashi Misaki ----> Komezawa Maiko.
> 
> I just wanted to mention it here so it doesn't confuse anyone in the future.
> 
> Next update Chapter 8 | Forgiveness will be coming out on October 30, 2020! It'll have a small comic of one of the scenes in the chapter that I quickly drew ad put together.
> 
> And the picture below is Chi-chan's stats and some info on her, sorry that her drawing is a bit sloppy, especially her hair, I wasn't down to really fix it, rip. Anyhow, thanks for reading and don't forget to comment and vote! Let me know how you think of the story. I've also finally decided after Chi-chan becomes legal in the book and goes into college, they're be a bit more romance and adult themes, so yay!
> 
> -Ember


	9. Forgiveness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shit guys! I'm so sorry! I completely forgot to update the new chapter on Friday! My bad!

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Word Count:** 6.4 k

🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐🏐

Feeling herself getting pressed into the door, Chiaki remembered one of the big reasons she decided to go to Karasuno. Karasuno was close to her new home, and it was within walking distance. Seijoh, on the other hand, would have required her to either get a car ride from one of the twins or take the public train. And while Chiaki did think the train was extremely convenient, in the morning and afternoon, it was something she wanted to avoid at all costs.

"Shit, are you good?" Iwaizumi questioned, his eyebrows knitting together as another body shoved against his back, decreasing the distance between them.

Chiaki only released a weak laugh, her back pressed against the train's door, silently thankful, knowing it wouldn't open for the next two stops. Truthfully, she was grateful that Iwaizumi was with her, the male using his body as a bracket around her, making sure she wasn't completely crushed.

It was like those cliche manga or drama scenes where the two protagonists are squished against each other in a crowded place. Actually, it was precisely that. And the only difference was this wasn't fiction to either Chiaki or Iwaizumi.

Iwaizumi cursed under his breath as he's pushed once more, getting forced to keep balance by pressing his hand against the train door beside Chiaki's head. Looking up a bit, Chiaki blinks before a small giggle leaves her lips. The spiky-haired boy's cheeks are flushed a rose pink, Iwaizumi refusing to look at her.

"Hajime-senpai, you still get flustered so easily," Chiaki comments in amusement.

Instantly, Iwaizumi glares at her, his eyes narrowing on her in warning, which makes Chiaki squeak and laugh harder. Iwaizumi's eyes softened as he heard her laugh, the corner of his lips tugging up a bit into a faint smile.

The two teens breathe out in relief as they step out of the crowded train, inhaling fresh air not contaminated by the smell of strong perfume or sweat. Suddenly the weight of the situation is felt by them both as they silently walk down the neighborhood.

"H-How have you been?" Iwaizumi mentally curses himself for stuttering, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

Chiaki hums, adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. "Surviving, I guess. A lot of things in my life have changed in the last year," the silver-haired female admits, kicking a small pebble in her way.

"I can see that," the male comments, his hand reaching out and lightly tugging on her braid. "Look at you, you're a delinquent now. I saw those piercings too."

Chiaki released a giggle and pulled her hair out of Iwaizumi's hand and spun on her heel, facing him. "It's pretty, isn't it? Bet you didn't even recognize me," she cheekily grinned, squealing as she dodged his hand as he tried to grab her.

They played cat and mouse for a brief moment before Chiaki returned to walk beside him, her cheek flushing a bit from dodging around. Iwaizumi eyed her from the corner of his eyes, his gaze softening to a fondness for the girl he's known since the summer of 2004 when he was only ten.

"It looks nice, but why?" Iwaizumi questioned, stuffing his hands into his pocket, the night breeze of April still cold.

"I needed change to start anew. A new identity to a new life, not that it helped that much," Chiaki nonchalantly speaks, a look of sadness flashing in her grey orbs for a brief moment. However, it goes away so quickly, Iwaizumi nearly missed seeing it.

The vice-captain of Seijoh continues on, not commenting on it. "You've also grown your hair out, it looks nice on you."

"Right? I actually spend time styling it instead of just pulling it into a ponytail like in middle school. I've matured into a woman, haven't I?" Chiaki playfully states, grinning at Iwaizumi. In response, the male flicks her forehead, Chiaki yelping, and instantly covering the red area with a sad pout.

"Still a little brat that gets carried away," Iwaizumi chuckled, walking past her with a small smile on his face.

The male can't help but feel his heart soar as he realizes that they were still able to act like time hadn't passed even after a year of being apart. And he didn't have the heart to say anything that may change the happy atmosphere around them.

"Didn't expect to see you going to the same school as Kageyama," Iwaizumi speaks, his gaze shifting to her as she caught up with him.

"Like I expected that too," Chiaki can't help but scoff, "imagine my surprise when I see him on the first day of school. Out of all the places, he decides on Karasuno."

Iwaizumi sends a deadpanned look at the female, "like you can say that. No one expected you in Karasuno. With your academic grade, you could have picked any other school. Even Shiratorizawa would have accepted you."

It takes another second for Iwaizumi to realize what he said, immediately regretting it when he sees Chiaki's expression fall.

"That may be true, but my pride wouldn't let me after Shiratorizawa took back their scholarship," Chiaki grumbles, her words barely above a whisper.

Iwaizumi roughly ran his hand through his hair, scratching his scalp in frustration. "Sorry, shit. I'm an idiot," the male growled, seeming to grow irritated at himself.

Chiaki waved him off with a hand, "it's fine. I gotta suck it up eventually. Can't exactly blame Shiratorizawa honestly. They had no need for me when I can't play volleyball," the silver-haired teen points out as she gives the older boy a weak smile. "And Hajime-senpai?"

Iwaizumi hums, stopping and turning around to look at the girl who had stopped walking. Chiaki points at the house she stands in front of with a small smile on her face. "My house is right here."

This makes Iwaizumi blush a bit before stomping up to where Chiaki is, looking a bit flustered. He sends Chiaki, who looks like she wants to say something a glare.

"Come on, Hajime-senpai. My mom would want to see you too," Chiaki gently speaks and grabs his hand, dragging him past her house gate although the male tried to argue.

"H-Hey, wait, I just came to drop you-"

"I'm home, Mom! I have a guest over!" Chiaki called out as she slipped her shoe off, motioning Iwaizumi to do the same.

Hearing her daughter's voice, Minako stepped to the entrance of her house wearing an apron and cooking chopsticks in her hand. The older woman's eyes widened at what she's greeted by, her lips immediately shifting into a bright smile.

"Oh my gosh, is that Hajime-kun?" Minako beamed as she approached the door, quickly placing down the chopsticks and wiping her hand on her apron.

Iwaizumi looked a bit bashful as he scratched the back of his head, placing a polite smile on his face, "hello, Minako-san. It's been a while."

His words make the older woman scoff as she sends a playful glare at her daughter, who looked a bit sheepish. "A while _too_ long! I missed having you come over to study with Chi-chan! It's so good to see you! You'll stay for dinner, won't you?" The dark-haired woman spoke quickly, already ushering both Chiaki and Iwaizumi into her home.

"Well, I don't want to be a bother seeing as this was a sudden visit..." Iwaizumi trails off as Minako sends the teen a light glare.

"Nonsense, Hajime-kun! You're always welcome to stop by, no matter what. And I would say today is the perfect day seeing as the twin messaged me earlier that their internship colleagues are dragging them out to drinking, seeing as they don't have the excuse of being underage anymore. I was already preparing dinner by then, so having you would be rather helpful," Minako sighed as she dramatically placed a hand on her cheeks. "And having a strong male in the house when it's only two girls is very reassuring," the older woman sent a playful wink at Iwaizumi.

Hearing this, Iwaizumi could no longer argue, nodding somewhat hesitantly. Minako simply didn't notice, or even if she did, she ignores it, rolling her sleeves up with a determined look. "Good, now I feel like I have to make it especially good knowing Hajime-kun is here! Chi-chan, show him around, he hasn't been to our new house yet. I'll call you two down when dinner is ready, make sure you place the laundry into the washing machine and press the button!"

Chiaki briefly sent the older boy an apologetic glance before taking hold of his hand, dragging him up the stairs where all of her siblings' and her bedrooms were located.

Iwaizumi took note that the walls were filled with pictures of the Ibato family, bringing out an at-home feeling.

"My parents have a room on the first floor, and the rest of us have our private rooms on the second floor," Chiaki explained as she led Iwaizumi down the hall of the second floor, her bedroom located at the very edge. While feeling hesitant, Iwaizumi follows the younger girl as she opens the door, stepping into her room. "You're free to look around here, Hajime-senpai, let me change out of my clothes," the silver-haired female comments as she collects some clothes and disappearing into the restroom she shared with Minato.

With Chiaki gone, the spiky-haired male couldn't help but fidget a bit, not knowing what to do. Looking around, he can see that Chiaki's room was simple, most of her furniture and walls being the color white. However, the lush green plants decorated throughout the room, some even hanging off the ceiling, screamed Chiaki's personality. Iwaizumi's gaze shifted to the large glass door in the room, seeing the orange sky changing to a dark blue.

Peaking out, he was able to see a balcony filled with more potted plants, a small garden which was part of Chiaki's hobby gleaming under the setting sun.

"How do you like my room? It's a mixture of an urban jungle and minimalistic white bohemian," Iwaizumi nearly flinched and whipped around, facing Chiaki, who had changed to indoor clothes that consisted of a pair of baggy sweats and a loose shirt that belonged to one of her older siblings. She has two glasses and a jug of iced barley tea in her hands, placing them on the table.

"You lost me at urban," Iwaizumi admits, his lips tilting into a smile as Chiaki laughed, the girl's eyes twinkling in amusement. She quickly pours the tea into the two glass cups, handing one to the male and taking one for herself.

Chiaki gets comfortable as she sits in the single hanging chair she has in the room while Iwaizumi takes a seat on the cushion next to the coffee table. A silence falls over the two, they both know that they no longer had any other excuses that prevented them from talking.

The silver-haired female stared down at her hand that held the glass cup. The condensation on the glass dripping down onto her finger, the coolness making her flinch. The ice that was beginning to melt shifted and made a light cling as it hit the glass.

Chiaki sighed as she looks up, "I—"

"I know why you did it, you don't have to apologize," Iwaizumi cuts her off, the older boy staring straight into Chiaki's eyes.

Chiaki's eyes widened, not expecting those words from her older friend. A look of distress flashing in her eyes, "b-but I just-"

"Yeah, you disappeared. It worried me like shit, and it hurt knowing you didn't want to talk to me about it. But I get it. I've never met anyone who loves volleyball more than you or Oikawa. I can't imagine all the shit you were going through after the accident," Iwaizumi sighed as he ran his hand through his hair roughly. He released a frustrated groan before looking at the female, his cheeks flushed a bit in embarrassment. "Shit, you know I'm not good with this kind of stuff. What I'm trying to say is that even if you want to apologize, there wasn't anything you needed to be sorry for from the beginning. I was never angry. And if you still want to apologize, then I forgive you." Iwaizumi crossed his arms over his chest as he huffed, his eyebrows furrowing together.

Chiaki stared at him for a moment, her bottom lip trembling. Immediately Iwaizumi's eyes widened in bewilderment as Chiaki's eyes filled with tears. "O-Oi! Why a-are you starting to cry?! H-Hey, didn't I just say I'm not angry at you? D-Don't cry, you big baby!" The male stutters as he climbs up to his feet and quickly makes his way to her. Iwaizumi kneels in front of the girl, peering up into her face with a look of concern.

Looking at Iwaizumi's panic, the silver-haired girl can't help but release a giggle as she wiped at her eyes before any of the tears could spill. Iwaizumi's forgiveness was something Chiaki was expecting to eventually happen.

However, she had thought it would only happen with countless apologies and making it up to the man. She was even willing to rub her forehead against the floor and beg for his forgiveness if it would subdue the anger he was feeling. But the male in front of her showed no emotions like that, only petting her head with gruff hands that were obviously not used to doing things like that. That alone makes her eyes fill with more tears, the kindness Iwaizumi showed making her feel even more guilty.

"Were you always such a cry baby?" Iwaizumi questioned as he gruffly wiped at her tears with the cuff of his sweater.

"I-It's your fault Hajime-senpai," Chiaki retorts while sniffling, allowing her friend to press a tissue to her nose and blowing into it after being told to do so.

A deadpanned appears on Iwaizumi's face at the accusation. But he doesn't bother defending himself, his eyes softening as Chiaki smiled at him, the corner of her eyes red.

"You're a mess," the spiky-haired male chuckles, his hand squeezing Chiaki's cheek, the female pouting and sending a glare of defiance at him. But eventually, they break into a laugh, their heads bumping into each other.

Chiaki releases a sigh as she wraps her arms around the male's broad chest, burying her nose into the fabric of his clothes, the familiar scent of his fabric softener making her inhale deeply.

"I missed you a lot, Hajime-senpai..." Chiaki whispered, the words barely reaching Iwaizumi's ear. The said male only hums in response, returning her squeeze. The two only pull away as they hear Minako's voice call for them from downstairs.

Minako has a small smile on her face as she looks at the two teens who sit at the dinner table. She doesn't miss the way her daughter's eyes are a bit puffy, along with the redness of her nose. The aftermath of Chiaki crying was like a neon sign stuck to her forehead. But the smile on both her daughter and her friend's face is all Minako needs to know everything was okay between them now.

"Since Hajime-kun is here, I decided to also make some agedashi tofu. It was your favorite, right?" Minako happily questioned, smiling brightly at the two teenagers.

"Yes, it is," Iwaizumi blushed, feeling a bit embarrassed that Minako remembered his favorite food.

Minako only smiled, fondly looking at the two teenagers, "eat as much as you like. I've made a lot, and I'm sure you worked hard at practice!"

Chiaki and Iwaizumi briefly shared eye contact before nodding, digging into the meal prepared by her mother. As the silver-haired female glances at Iwaizumi, who began to stuff his face after the first bite, her heart warmed at the sight. _I missed this a lot..._  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
"Are you sure you don't want Mom driving you home?" Chiaki questioned as she stood outside her house, looking at the male worriedly, "It's pretty late, and you have to take the train, don't you?"

Iwaizumi hummed with his hand stuffed into his pocket, "it's fine, I've eaten a lot so walking would do me good. Say thanks to Minako-San for me again," the male spoke as he looked at the female.

A silence falls over them for a second, neither of them knowing exactly how they should say goodbye.

"Hey, give me your new LINE ID," Iwaizumi finally spoke as he pulled out his phone from his pocket.

Nodding in understanding, Chiaki steps back in the house to grab her phone from the dining table. The two teenagers shake their phones together, using the app's function to look for each other's electric signal.

"Ah, I found you. I sent it right now," Chiaki speaks, holding her phone out.

A ping was heard from Iwaizumi's phone, the notification of the friend request from Chiaki appearing on his screen. "Got it, right now, thanks," the male confirmed as he carefully made sure to press the right buttons and added her into his friend's list instead of declining it.

He stared down at his screen where Chiaki's name was shown, looking at her profile picture of her smiling for a good minute. And before he knew it, the question he had drifting in his mind for a while tumbled out of his mouth.

"Hey... Are you happy where you're at right now...?" The Seijoh wing spiker questioned as he looked at Chiaki.

The said female's lips parted, not expecting the question. She blinked once, thinking about the Karasuno team, the words and promises they made to her when she finally decided to join. The words from Hinata that made her realize her moping was pointless. They were the people who were the reason she decided to step forward instead of staying in the past.

Slowly, a gentle smile spread across Chiaki's face.

"Yeah! I'm really happy where I am right now," Chiaki beamed, her mouth stretching, her eyes narrowing as she shows him a broad, genuine smile.

Iwaizumi's eyes widened at the expression Chiaki wears. However, his astonishment is soon replaced by his own smile. "Good!" Iwaizumi can't help the bright, boyish grin from spreading across his face, "that's all I care!!"  
  
  
  


The two shared a smile as Iwaizumi raised his hand, gently patting Chiaki's head. "As long as you're happy where you're now, I don't have a problem. If you ever want to talk, contact me, I'll always make time for you, Chiaki."

Chiaki smiled at that, nodding in understanding as she embraced his touch, watching him leave from the entrance of her house until she could no longer see his back.

When she stepped back into the house, Minako had finished cleaning the kitchen up, placing two mugs of tea on the table, which Chiaki happily took.

The female can feel the look she was getting from her mother, finally looking up with an eyebrow raised at the older female. "What?"

Minako only smiles and shakes her head.

Chiaki's eyebrows furrow at her mother's unusual action but brush it off as she holds her mug. "Going upstairs, Mom, good night," Chiaki gently speaks as she climbs up to her feet with her tea in hand.

"Good night, sweetie, don't stay up too late studying," Minako warns as she watches her only daughter climb up the stairs. Hearing the door of Chiaki's bedroom close, Minako looked down at the mug, the ceramic warm against her palm, the clear green liquid steaming.

Seeing a lone tea stalk vertically stand, she releases a small giggle. "What good luck," she whispered before sipping the tea. 

  
  
  
Chiaki huffed as she carried multiple plastic bags in each of her hands, the weight of them surprisingly heavy. _Perhaps, I bought more than I should..._. Chiaki thinks as she takes a quick rest near the gate of her school. Silently she thanks it was still only April, the weather being reasonably cool. Imaging herself doing this in September makes her shudder, imaging the scorching sun and the obnoxious sounds of cicadas.

"Aki-Chan? Are you okay?"

Chiaki looked up in surprise, noticing Ennoshita walking towards her with concern. The said boy seemed to have been walking towards the gym for the afternoon practice when he had seen her struggling.

"Hi, Ennoshita-kun. I just quickly went to go buy some medical stuff from the nearby store. I also noticed that some of the club bottles are super old, so I decided we could replace them," Chiaki softly explained, pointing at the bags that lay near her feet.

The raven-haired male nodded in understanding, before swiftly picking up most of the bags, only leaving one for Chiaki to carry. "Come on, I'll help you. You were heading to the gym too, right?" Ennoshita questioned, sending a gentlemanly smile at the female.

Chiaki blinked, suddenly starting to get a better idea of Ennoshita's personality. With a small smile and nod of thanks, the two second-years walked to the gym together.

"Was everything okay after we left yesterday?" Ennoshita questioned as he eyed the female beside him.

Chiaki hummed in response, nodding her head, "yes. Thanks to you all, I was able to speak with Hajime-senpai and talk over things," Chiaki spoke, her eyes softening as she remembered last night.

Ennoshita, who saw her expression, smiled, silently realizing this might have been the first time they had a proper conversation without the other club members around.

"Ennoshita-kun, you're in class 4, right? You also have a test tomorrow for chemistry, don't you?" Chiaki questioned, knowing the college prep classes usually had the same schedule seeing as the teacher was the same.

At the mention of the subject, Ennoshita's face twisted a bit, "yeah, that's going to be a hard chapter. I've been studying anytime I have a chance, but molarity always makes me confused."

Chiaki nodded in understanding, totally agreeing to what her fellow second-year said, "I'm almost done studying, I can send you the practice exam and flashcards I made to you after practice," the silver-haired female offered, Ennoshita's expression brightening as he nodded.

Unknown to the two teens, this was the start of a studying friendship they would build for the remaining of their schooling career.

Chiaki and Ennoshita abruptly ended their conversation as the gym's loudness became apparent the closer they neared. They share a brief look of confusion before entering the gym that was already filled with their teammates.

While they saw familiar faces, Ennoshita and Chiaki noticed a figure that hadn't come to join the practice in the gym since the beginning of the school year.

"Oh, Nishinoya, are you officially back?" Ennoshita questions as he walks up to the shorter male.

Nishinoya's face brightened as he looked up at the taller male, a grin breaking across his face, "Chikara! It's good to see you!" The libero then notices the figure standing behind Ennoshita, his eyes widening. "Eh? Aki-san is here too! Hi, Aki-San! You're as pretty as I remember!" Nishinoya cheered as he waved his arm over his head.

At that moment, Shimizu steps into the gym as well. Nishinoya immediately sees her, his face breaking into an excited smile, dashing forward, "Kiyoko-San!!! I came to see you, Kiyoko-saaaaan! There are two pretty girls in the club nowwwww!!"

The said third-year flinched at Nishinoya's booming voice and his quickly approaching form. Chiaki blinked, her mouth parting in wonder at the alarming speed Nishinoya moved. Which was right towards her.

"Aki-chan," Kiyoko quickly grasped Chiaki's arm and pulled her back, pushing the taller girl behind her as Nishinoya leaped towards them. The silver-haired girl couldn't help but flinch and wince as Kiyoko's hand shot forward, making a clean slap across Nishinoya's cheek as he tried to leap onto them. She could just imagine the pain of hearing the sound of Shimizu's hand making contact with his cheek's skin.

Nishinoya whined at the hit, but he still beamed happily, the red imprint of Shimizu's hand slowly appearing on his cheek.

"Aki-chan, are you alright?" Shimizu questioned as she coolly pushed her glasses higher onto her nose as she looked at her team medic.

Chiaki is only able to nod in confirmation, suddenly having a new respect for the third-year female. _So cool....._

Shimizu smiled a bit before taking her hand, "let's get dressed in our sports clothes while the boys talk. Here, let me help you carry these bags."

Chiaki obediently followed after the older girl into the locker room, briefly glancing at where the boys gathered and spoke together.

"Do you think he will come back?" Chiaki asked as she stripped out of her uniform shirt, changing into a plain white shirt similar to what Shimizu wore during practice. Her thoughts go to a certain tall third-year male she had met a couple of times last year.

Chiaki had a reasonably good idea of what happened last year, being told the stories from Sugawara and Daichi. Hearing the full story, the fall out between the team and the frustration was understandable. But personally, Chiaki felt that they could get over it eventually. However, she couldn't say much, seeing as while she was close to those two third-years, she wasn't that well acquainted with the team's former ace.

Shimizu hummed, pulling her legs through her pants. "Asahi is a bit more sensitive than the average boy. But," the dark-haired beauty smiled, her eyes narrowing fondly, "like all of them, he did love the sport."

While it wasn't a direct answer to Chiaki's question, the silver-haired female had a rough idea of what the older girl said.

As Chiaki kneels to slip on her gym shoes, she finds a pair of shoes in front of her. Looking up in confusion, she sees Shimizu standing there looking down with her with a smile.

"Aki-Chan, I found something in the storage room while I was cleaning the other day. It's covered in dust and cobwebs, and the corners are ripped from age. But can you help me clean it and repair it?"

Chiaki cocked her head to the side, not having a single idea what the older girl was talking about. But none-the-less, Chiaki nods, following after the raven-haired female.

Opening the dark storage room, Chiaki watched as Shimizu unraveled something. Chiaki's eyes briefly widened before a small smile made it to her face as she realized what it was.   
  
  


  
  
  
"M-Mercy....! Aki-senpai, mercy!" Kageyama released a choke as he slammed his fist into the ground as he was forced to reach forward, his chest nearly touching the gym floor he sat on.

Chiaki pays the younger boy no mind, pushing against his back even more as Kageyama cries out in pain, "come on, Tobi-kun. Don't bend your knees, you've been slacking on stretching haven't you? Your flexibility has gone down," the girl scolded, giving a final push before climbing off his back, Kageyama collapsing to the floor with his eyebrows furrowed.

Her eyes moved to her next target, already reaching them before they could complain.

Tsukishima froze, his face twisting in displeasure as he feels hands on his back.

"What are you, agh!" The blond first-year couldn't even finish his words as Chiaki pressed forward, the movement making his muscles cry out in pain.

"T-Tsukki!" Yamaguchi cries out in worry, helplessly watching as Chiaki forced the taller boy to actually stretch.

Tanaka and Hinata snickered as they watched Tsukishima squirm in pain. The usually witty boy was not even able to say something snarky because of his muscles screaming in a strain of being stretched. Chiaki has a neutral look on her face, but Kageyama quickly looked away, the boy shivering as he was able to see a sadistic gleam in her grey orbs.

It seemed like Chiaki still hadn't forgiven Tsukishima over his snarky comments when they had first met. On a serious note, Chiaki's eyes narrowed on Tsukishima as she crouched in front of the boy, her hand squeezing his calve much to his astonishment.

"What the heck are you-"

"Sorry Tsukishima-kun, serious topic," Chiaki cuts off the glassed-male as her thumbs pressed into his calf muscle, slowly moving it. At the motion, a sharp pain was felt by the middle blocker, the male subconsciously flinching as he tried to pull his leg away from the female. Chiaki's eyebrows knitted together as she looked up to his expression, "it hurt didn't it? When you were jumping to block earlier, it seemed like your form was a bit off. Your calves muscles are a bit too tense from what I see. I'll loosen it a bit, and tonight makes sure to take a nice hot bath and soak in it for a bit. It'll help with the stiffness and make sure you drink more water throughout the day," Chiaki advised, her eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she worked on the stiffness.

While flinching in pain during the motion of Chiaki's massage, Tsukishima couldn't help but feel a bit taken aback when he climbed back to his feet, his legs somehow feeling lighter than earlier. The middle blocker has a scowl painted on his face. However, he doesn't say anything snarky as he only nods at Chiaki and looks away from her.

"Aki-Chan seems like she's just fitting in," Sugawara comments to Daichi, who stood next to him.

The captain nods with his arms crossed his chest, watching as Hinata approached the older girl for some advice for training, "yeah, she did mention that she's been getting tips from her older brother who's in his final year in schooling and her mother. She gave me some advice the other day too," Daichi admits, the corner of his lips tugging up. However, his eyes twitched as Nishinoya released a loud howl as he jumped to receive a ball while rolling.

"ROLLING THUNDERRR!!"

Chiaki watched in silence, the others staring at Nishinoya with a mix of amazement and amusement. On the other hand, the silver-haired female suddenly remembered a short girl, the libero of her middle school team. The image of Nishinoya and Maiko overlapped in Chiaki's mind, the energy of both of them being similar. _They would get along if they met...._ Chiaki thinks as she stands on the side, watching in amusement as Tanaka and the others made fun of the libero.

Hinata was the only one enthusiastic of Nishinoya's rolling thunder, the ginger's eyes shined with excitement as he begged the second-year to teach it to him.

"That's enough for today!"

Everyone's attention moved the gym door as Takeda stepped in, the teacher grinning brightly as the boys gathered around him for the evening meeting.

"You will be doing the golden week training this year as well, correct?" Takeda questioned, Daichi nodding in confirmation.

"Yes, we still need a lot more practice after all," Daichi spoke, grimly thinking about the team as a whole.

Takeda seemed pleased by the information, laughing a bit as he pushed his square glasses higher onto his nose, "In that case..."

Everyone looked at each other in confusion before looking at the short adult, "I've scheduled a practice match for the final day of Golden Week!!"

The boys' expression brightened at the information, a look of surprise on many of their faces. Chiaki, on the other hand, thought about her schedule, remembering Minato and her father should be back during that week to visit the family.

"How reliable! Who are we against?" Sugawara questioned, the silver-haired male brown eyes rounding with curiosity.

"The Tokyo veteran, Nekoma High School!"

Chiaki paused, her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline in surprise, not expecting to hear the familiar school name. The corner of her lips twitched. _I guess I'll have to tell Mom...._  
  
  


  
  
  
🏐🏐 **EXTRA/ Bullet Short story** 🏐🏐

*in the summer of 2004, Chiaki met both Iwaizumi and Oikawa at the park. She was 8 (almost turning 9), and they were 10.

*Chiaki was at the park on the weekend because she didn't have volleyball summer camp on Saturday or Sundays and all of her brothers had practice.

With a volleyball in hand, she was bumping the ball, trying to reach at least a hundred. But as she was able to reach half of it, a voice says, "I can do it better than you."

*Distracted, the ball falls to the ground and she turns around to see a boy with fluffy brown hair standing there with his own volleyball in his hand.

*Chiaki ignores him and continues to bump the ball again. The boy annoyed that the girl was annoying him, throws his ball at Chiaki, but much to his astonishment, Chiaki receives it without much trouble.

*Irritated that she was interrupted for the second time, she sent him a cold glare at him muttering, "that was a really weak serve." And decided to ignore him because her older brothers always said to ignore boys if they don't have nice things to say.

*the boy obviously heard her and blushes, muttering, "I-I didn't even try to serve it!" Before the boy can say something else, he feels something land on his head.

* "Eh?"

*Before he could know what it is, a white bug net smashes into a head, covering him. "Oi, Toru don't move! The cicada landed on your head!" A boy with dark, short hair in a tank top yells, holding the bug net.

*The boy with the bug net covering his head begins screaming as the cicada starts to fly around his head, the bug having nowhere to go because of the net and lands on his face. He starts screaming even louder in panic.

*Chiaki watches with a pale face as she backs up, being scared of the bug. She grows even more scared as the bug somehow flies out of the net and flies straight towards her.

*Her mouth opens in a silent scream, her volleyball long forgotten by her feet. But before the cicada could land on her, the boy in the tank top quickly shoots forward, catching the flying bug in his net mid-air.

* "Ah, finally got it," the boy grins as he holds his net up. Chiaki stares at him in admiration as the boy skillfully holds the bug in his hand, much like how she saw Minato do it in the past when he showed her the bug.

*The boy looks at Chiaki with a cock of his head and holds the cicada for her to see, "this is the prettier type of cicadas, it's called the min min zemi, it has clear wings and look much cooler than the average abura zemi."

*Chiaki is amazed by the information because she never knew, usually being scared by bugs. She watched with interest as the boy released the bug into the sky, it flying away from them.

* "I'm Iwaizumi Hajime, who are you? I've never seen you around this park here before"

*Chiaki quickly introduced herself, but she froze in surprise as Iwaizumi turns around, and they both finally noticed the boy with fluffy brown hair from earlier is gripping onto Iwaizumi's tank top while crying.

* "H-Ha-kun y-you're a b-big meany! Why did you cover my head with that bug?!"

*From there, Iwaizumi and Chiaki awkwardly tried to make the boy stop crying, and Chiaki later learned his name was Oikawa Toru.

🏐🏐INFO🏐🏐

*Oikawa had been a bit mean to Chiaki growing up because of a few reasons. One, he was worried that with Chiaki becoming suddenly close to Iwaizumi, he'd lose his best friend. Two, Chiaki seemed to always be a bit better at volleyball than him in elementary. It wasn't as apparent when they reached middle school because Oikawa got taller. (Chiaki was taller than both Iwaizumi and Oikawa until she was a first-year in middle school, and they were second years. Chiaki had her growth spurt extremely early) Three, he was jealous of her background and privilege of having opportunities in volleyball because of her family. Four, Chiaki's indifference always pissed him off. He hated whenever he said, "I'm going to beat you one day!" She would always respond with a "okay." He felt like she was brushing him off. Little did he know, Chiaki was acknowledging him and saying okay because she did believe he was going to beat her one day.

*In truth, Oikawa didn't actually hate her. He was just taking it out on her, and he knew that. In reality, he did acknowledge her talent as a wing spiker and server. That was also one reason he wasn't extremely mean only giving off snarky comments. They were different positions in volleyball, and her presence didn't irk him as much as Kageyama's.

*it was more like a one-sided banter where Oikawa was all bark, but no bite. Chiaki usually just brushed him aside in that aspect, but the two did have their moments where they got along, like when they practiced together where Oikawa would set for her spikes.

*When Chiaki got hurt, and Oikawa learned that she would no longer be able to play volleyball, he felt incredibly guilty, and he actually felt bad for her.

*when reunited in high school, Oikawa was in a dilemma. He was so used to saying something snarky to her; he wanted to do the same thing. But he didn't feel like he could do that anymore. That was why he stepped into the conversation when his teammates crowded around her and helped her out a bit. But after she left and he realized what he did, he felt super embarrassed and was in a dilemma again. Almost like a identity crisis.

*After Chiaki and Iwaizumi left, he was super flustered, not believing he actually was able to do something kinda nice for Chiaki. But at the same time, he thought he needed to work on being friendly and maybe apologizing, seeing as he would likely see her again.

🏐🏐Terms: 🏐🏐

Chabashira: A tea stalk floating vertically is called chabashira (lit: tea pillar) in Japanese. Seeing a chabashira, the Japanese feel happy, saying, "Engi(luck) ga (is) ii (good)." It is considered good luck when this happens because of the rarity.

Min Min Zemi: Hyalessa maculaticollis

Abura Zemi: large brown cicada  
  
  


  
  
  
****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hehe, how did you like this update? Did you guys like the manga clip I drew? Heads up, it's also on my Instagram page on btsinned! Check it out, I'll post more of my ADRW art along with my other anime ff art there. 
> 
> Also, leave a comment if you actually want to read the meeting between Iwaizumi/Oikawa/Chiaki in the next chapter extra at the end, instead of the bullets from this chapter.
> 
> Next update, chapter 9 | Ochibi-chan is coming out on 11/13/2020!
> 
> -Ember
> 
> 11/1/2020


	10.  Ochibi-chan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word count: 6.5 k

  
  


🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐🏐

The classroom was filled with conversations of students speaking to each other as they ate their lunches. Chiaki sighed as she bit into her sandwich as she stared down at paperwork for the daily duty. She was assigned for today's daily duty as one of the _nicchoku_ and swiftly filled the needed information out, knowing she couldn't go after school because of club activities.

While she didn't mind doing the duties, she admits it felt unusual not going out to the school garden to meet up with Daichi and Sugawara for lunch. With a sigh, she tapped her pen against the paper, thinking about what to write. She wanted to finish this as soon as possible and turn it in to her homeroom teacher before lunch ended so she wouldn't have to worry about it later. However, with the constant conversation around her, she was having difficulties concentrating.

"You know, I noticed this a while ago, but Ibato-san, you have really pretty hands."

Chiaki looked up in surprise as she heard her name. It takes another moment to process what he had said, blinking up at her male classmate who was on duty with her, who was responsible for saying that.

The silver-haired girl was a bit taken aback, having not noticed the boy approaching her and taking a seat in front of her. The said boy's cheeks flushed slightly as she stared up at him, Chiaki not realizing he was becoming flustered under her gaze.

"Ishikawa! Are you being a pervert? Is that some kind of fetish of yours? Ibato-San, if he's harassing you, you let us know, okay?" One of the girls sitting as a group next to Chiaki's desk comments in a teasing tone, making Ishikawa blush.

Ishikawa fiercely shook his head, glaring at the snickering girls, "no! I'm just speaking of my observation!" The poor boy looked appalled, sending an apologetic look at Chiaki.

"But, now that you mentioned it, Ibato-San really does have pretty hands," one of the girls' comments, her eyes darting to Chiaki's hand that held a pen. At her words, the other girls look down at Chiaki's hand, nodding in agreement.

Chiaki has long, slender fingers, her nails neatly tripped and kept short. They were even buffed and shined, having a very hygienic appearance.

"If you grew out your nails a bit more and put some manicure on, it'll look super pretty," one of the girls gushed as she pointed at her own hand that had light pink nail polish on. "Why don't you put some manicure on? It's such a waste!"

In response, Chiaki hummed and looked down at her hands, noting she should buffer down the corners a bit. Being very honest, she's never really thought her hands were pretty looking, thinking of them as regular hands.

"I never really tried before. It's a habit of mine to keep my nails short because I played volleyball all my life. It's necessary to keep your hands in the best condition. It helps control the ball's movement with short nails," she admits, pushing a piece of fringe behind her ear. This was something Chiaki was taught from a young age from her father.

"Oh, you played volleyball, Ibato-san? Do you still?" One of the girls questioned in curiosity. Many of the other students in the classroom listened to the conversation in interest, not knowing much of Chiaki, seeing as the silver-haired female often kept to herself. The students hushed down so they could hear their usually quiet classmate.

At the question, Chiaki feels briefly uncomfortable, her eyebrows furrowing together. But she quickly replaces her expression with a sad smile with a shake of her head. "No, at the end of my middle school, I got into a severe accident and no longer could play. But I'm on the volleyball team right now as their medic."

An apologetic look appeared on all of their faces at the weak smile Chiaki flashed them, immediately feeling bad about asking the question. Chiaki, on the other hand, is quick to grasp the gloominess around them. She waves her hand in front of her in an assuring manner.

"It's fine, I'm just happy still being able to do something related to volleyball. The boys are all super sweet, and watching them makes me feel like I'm on the court with them too," a soft look appeared in Chiaki's droopy grey eyes, her lips pulling into a sweet smile.

Those who watched her blushed, imaginary pink flowers floating around them as they were blessed to see Chiaki's soft smile.

Just at that moment, all of their attention shifted outside the classroom, voices of argument entering all of their ears. It was unusually rowdy in the hallways, and Chiaki cocks her head to the side, finding it unusual. However, listening in, she perked up as she picked up two familiar voices bantering.

Ishikawa, who sat in front of her flinched as the silver-haired teen suddenly got up to her feet. The female carried herself to the sliding window, peering her head through into the hallway. Chiaki's expression brightened as she caught sight of a short male with bright orange hair walking with a tall figure with dark hair down the hall.

"Hinata-kun! Tobi-kun!"

Hearing her voice, both first-years turned around in confusion, their argument briefly pausing. Hinata sees Chiaki first, his expression lighting up like the sun, his lips stretching so wide it split his face. He ignores the setter beside him and bounds over to the female with a beaming smile that nearly blinded those who saw him. Unlike his companion, Kageyama follows after Hinata in a calming manner, although the said male's eyes brightened as he trotted in front of Chiaki.

"Hi, Aki-senpai!" Hinata gushes, smiling up at the taller girl. Seeing him, Chiaki can't help but imagine puppy ears suddenly appeared in his fluffy orange hair, an imaginary tail wagging fiercely behind him.

Without much control, Chiaki can't stop herself from patting Hinata's head, her fingers pushing down his orange hair that was surprisingly very soft. _If Hinata really was a dog, his tail would be wagging at Mach speed..._ Chiaki thinks with amusement as Hinata looks happy at the attention he was receiving from the older girl.

The female's attention moved to Kageyama as she felt the younger boy's stare, and without thinking, she patted the taller boy's head too, stretching her arm a bit. "Hi, Tobi-kun," Chiaki releases a small giggle, patting his smooth raven locks.

"Usu..." Kageyama's cheeks are flushed slightly as he looked down with embarrassment, but nonetheless a bit happy at the affection Chiaki showed him. The said female found his reaction cute, giving him one last good pat, deciding to ignore how Hinata elbowed the taller boy, snickering as Kageyama glared at him in a warning.

"So, mind you telling me why you two are on the second-year floor? Aren't first years supposed to stay on the first floor and the new building unless they have specific business with someone?" Chiaki questioned, her fingers tapping her cheek as she thought back to the rules of the campus.

Hinata and Kageyama share brief eye contact, looking like children who were caught in the middle of causing trouble.

Hinata poked his index fingers together, looking a bit sheepish as he tried to explain himself. "We were heading to the stairs to go to the third-year floor. Kageyama and I have been visiting Asahi-san to see if he'll come to the club!" The ginger explained, widening his eyes, hoping that he wouldn't get scolded by his team medic. However, he grew more dejected as he suddenly remembers the outcome of the last few days. "We've been going to see him at lunch for the last three days, but he never says yes..."

Chiaki hummed and patted Hinata's head once again, seeing the younger boy's sadness. It takes every ounce of power to not squeeze the younger boy's cheeks and coo at him.

"I see... I'm sure Asahi-senpai will eventually bend if you keep asking him." Chiaki assures, thinking about the soft giant with a knowing smile. The silver-haired girl had a gut feeling that told her the Karasuno ace wouldn't stay away for long.

Chiaki sharpened her eyes a bit, the two boys in front of her immediately seeing this and subconsciously straightening their backs nervously. "I'm not going to stop you guys from going to see Asahi-senpai, but make sure to keep it down a bit more when you're walking down the hallways. I could hear you guys arguing from in here," the silver-haired teen gently scolded.

At her words, both Hinata and Kageyama looked dejected, shrinking a bit as they send her an apologetic and sheepish look. Chiaki's stern expression doesn't stay long as she finds their reaction cute, a small chuckle leaving her lips as she patted their heads. Suddenly remembering what she had in her bag, she turns around. "You two, stay here for a bit," she motions them to stay in place and goes back to her seat, rummaging through her bag.

Finding what she searched for, she returns to the two first-years who looked at her in curiosity. "Make sure you guys eat a proper lunch. You won't find your energy during practice if you don't," Chiaki warns as she hands them a protein bar each.

Chiaki releases a laugh as she sees how both Kageyama and Hinata's eyes shine brightly as they bow their heads with a loud, "thank you!"

With a shake of her head, Chiaki decides to not scold them about their volume of voice. She just eyes them fondly as Hinata and Kageyama begin bickering again.

"Come on, you two. You should go see Asahi-senpai, or you'll run out of time," Chiaki ushers them, the two boys seeming to remember the reasoning as to why they were out of their own classroom in the first place.

Hinata grinned brightly as he waved his arm above his head, getting dragging by Kageyama by the neck of his shirt, "thanks Aki-senpai!!! We'll see you after school at practice!"

Chiaki watched the energetic middle blocker and the tall setter leave while waving her hand with a fond smile on her face. When they disappeared after the corner they turned, the teen returned to her seat while humming, her mood jumping a few notches up at the interaction she had with her favorite kouhais. She clenched her fist, nodding at herself in motivation as she returned to finishing her _nicchoku_ tasks.

Little did she know she was blinding her classmates with her happy smile, many of them staring at her in awe.

"Maybe I should join volleyball too..." Ishikawa muttered under his breath, earning a smack to the back of his head from one of the girl's who heard him.   
  
  


  
  
  
The loud smack of the volleyball hitting the ground echoed through the gym. Chiaki nodded to herself in small approval and looked up from her phone, ending the video. Her attention briefly shifted to Hinata and Kageyama before looking down at her phone once more to watch the video she just took.

"Kageyama! Toss it to me once more!" Hinata whined loudly, jumping in front of the setter who was walking away, trying to block him from moving out of the court. But his movement seemed to only irritate the taller boy, Kageyama throwing the first punch which Hinata skillfully dodged.

"Boke! Get out of my way! Ugh! Stop dodging!"

It doesn't take long for Daichi to intervene with Sugawara, the captain grabbing Hinata from the back of his shirt and dragging him away from Kageyama like a mother cat. "Hinata, give Kageyama a break, you've asked for a toss none stop since practice started," Daichi scolds, Hinata shrinking under his glare with a pout on his face.

While the orange-haired boy gets a lecture from a nagging Daichi, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi snickered on the side. The others watched in amusement, having gotten used to seeing their captain scold their newly joined ball of energy.

Finally, being able to escape from Hinata's constant demands for tosses, Kageyama approached where Chiaki sat, using a towel to wipe at the sweat that dripped down his neck.

Seeing him approach, the silver-haired female made space on the bench for him to sit silently. "How was that one?" The dark-haired male questioned, sitting down beside Chiaki and peering into the phone, she tilted his way.

Chiaki started the video she took from the beginning, placing a particular part in slow motion. "Better, but you were a bit too obvious when setting it, in my opinion. Why don't you practice on fake eye movements? Also, your finger position right here," Chiaki paused the video, Kageyama bending his neck to see what she was pointing and talking about, "the position is good, but concentrate on your fingertips next time, and you'll probably be able to toss at least a second or two faster."

Kageyama clicked his tongue, annoyed at himself. But he nodded in understanding, imputing Chiaki's suggestion in his mind. His eyebrows furrowing together after he pressed the phone screen, starting the video from the beginning, "my jump was sloppy too," the setter grumbled, noticing it the second time watching the video.

"Hm, here, here! Let me see!" Sugawara suddenly joined the conversation, snatching the phone out of Chiaki's hand to watch the video. However, the silver-haired male's eyebrows furrowed as he tilted his head, his expression darkening the longer he watched the video.

Seeing his expression, Tanaka joined in as well, the male with shaved head looking confused for a moment before pointing a finger at Chiaki and Kageyama. "What the hell are you two talking about? There's nothing wrong with Kageyama's toss!"

"Right here. At that moment, I could have improved by jumping with both feet instead of jumping off my right leg," Kageyama climbed up to his feet and took the phone out of Sugawara's hand and paused the video to show the two older boys. But both Sugawara and Tanaka only stared at the first-year male who looked genuinely confused about why his senpais couldn't see what he was pointing out.

"Ah, I wouldn't waste my energy, senpai-tachi. There are only things that people like the King would understand. Us commoners wouldn't be able to tell, right? Miss Dove?" Tsukishima waved a lazy hand in the air, a condescending smile on his face.

That seemed to irritated Tanaka, the second-year's face twisting as he stomped up to the taller blond, "huh?! You wanna go, you beansprout? We may not understand it now, but we can improve so we could!"

Tanaka, however, loses the will to fight as Daichi turns his glare to him, the third-year captain pausing in scolding Hinata. None of them noticed as Chiaki slowly made her way behind Tsukishima, Shimizu being the only one who eyed the female in interest as she paused in writing down notes.

"I think it's ridiculous that you're trying to perfect everything. Don't you get tired having to-augh!" Tsukimshima couldn't finish his sentence as his knee gets knocked out, the tall blonde falling backward as he crumbles to the ground.

Chiaki stands above him with a blank look while everyone stared in shock at what happened. But it was broken by Tanaka and Nishinoya, who clutched their stomach and pointed at Tsukishima as they laughed.

"O-Oi! Tsukishima, a-are you, hahaha! Are you okay there, buddy?" Tanaka cried, barely being able to speak while he laughed, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes.

Hinata and Kageyama were also snickering, the smaller boy whispering how uncool that looked while Kageyama only grinned, his eyes dancing with amusement.

"T-Tsukki! I-uh, are you okay?!" Yamaguchi snapped out of his initial shock and ran up to his taller friend in concern. He moved to help the blonde stand up but stopped as Tsukishima pushed him aside with his face burning red and climbing up to his feet on his own.

What none of them expected was for Tsukishima to glower down at the older girl who had a closed-eyed smile on her face, not seeming to be fazed by the taller boy.

"I think I see sparks flying....." Narita gasped, quickly hiding behind Ennoshita, who watched with a sweatdrop. The said boy scratched his cheek as a weak laugh left his mouth.

"Hahaha... There seems to be some intensity between Aki-chan and Tsukishima because their first meeting wasn't exactly the smoothest..." Ennoshita comments before he steps in, cutting the staring contest between them short.

Tsukishima huffed and threw his towel over his shoulder and walked off, Yamaguchi loyally following after him after sending a weak smile at Ennoshita in thanks. The second-year releases a sigh before looking at the female standing beside him with a questioning look.

"Are you okay, Aki-chan? I might have not known you long, but I have a feeling this isn't very like you picking a fight with Tsukishima," Ennoshita comments, the said male blinking in surprise as Chiaki pouts, a brief childish look appearing on her face.

The silver-haired female pushes a fringe of hair that came out of her braid behind her ear, "I just had a feeling that I needed to bring down his saltiness a few notches down... He's just so..." Chiaki pauses, her eyebrows furrowing together before she released a sigh. Her usual smile returns on her face as she eyed the slightly taller boy, "sorry about that, Chikara-kun."

Honestly, Chiaki knew what she did was out of character. She doesn't even think she's been physical like that before. She almost felt bad for what she did, but the offhand comments that the younger boy used to taunt her and Kageyama was getting on her nerves. The boy rubbed her in the wrong way, something not many people have been successful in doing in the past.

Chiaki is pulled out of her thoughts as the gym's door opens, revealing an adult with glasses. Takeda beamed as he eyed all the volleyball members seeming to be in a great mood, "hello everyone, please gather up!"

Soon all of them were in front of the man, Chiaki standing in the back with Shimizu beside her. The silver-haired female blinked, taken aback as some of the boys released a surprised sound as a man stepped into the gym after Takeda.

"Guys, I'll introduce you! Starting today, this is who'll be handling coaching! Ukai-kun!"

Chiaki hums in amusement. The silver-haired female hadn't thought of this possibility. While she did have an idea that Takeda was making an effort to look for a coach to run the team, she hadn't expected him to pick the man in front of them all.

"C-Coaching? Really?!" Daichi exclaimed his surprise, his eyes widened at the prospect of actually getting a coach to run the team, having had to do most of it himself with Sugawara's help.

Ukai grinned, nodding with his hands placed on his hips, "only up through the match with Nekoma," the blond male emphasized the information.

"But, he's the guy from the Sakanoshita shop, right? Is he really going to be able to coach us?" Tanaka asked the million-dollar question that ran through all of their heads, sending a doubting look to the adult in the P.E. wear.

Takeda grinned at the question, rubbing under his nose, seeming to look proud at the information he was about to share. "He is an alumnus of this school and Coach Ukai's grandson!"

"Eh?!"

Another round of shocked voices ring in the gym, Chiaki not being able to help but smile, finding their exaggerated reaction cute.

"Huh? But you're from 'Sakanoshita,' right? Isn't that your last name?" Hinata questioned with a tilt of his head, looking confused as his eyebrows furrowed together.

"That's 'cause the shop belongs to my mother's side of the family. Oh!" Ukai pauses as he catches sight of Chiaki standing in the back, a grin spreading across his face as he raises a hand up. "Yo, chibisuke! Glad to see you're here too, hope you'll help me out a bit," he releases a laugh, seeming to not care as the boys gawked at him.

"Aki-chan! Do you know him?" Sugawara questioned, everyone staring at the girl.

In response, Chiaki nods while humming, "he was a senpai to my older brother and they were on the same team. And because coach Ukai and my brother worked together, our families knew each other well."

"You should have seen her when she'll barge in during our practice. She was this lil' thing that barely came up to our hips! Always came to see Minato at practice and sat on gramp's lap while we were nearly killed with training," Ukai laughed as he used his hand to gesture her height. "Came to all our practice and was known as our little cheerleader and mascot."

Chiaki ignored the looks she was receiving from her team, her ears turning a bit red in embarrassment. Sugawara was even cooing, poking Chiaki's cheek, muttering something that sounded like, "awww, little Chiaki-chan? I wanted to see too~"

"Anyhow!" Ukai brought everyone's attention back to himself, "we've got no time to lose, so hurry up and get ready! I wanna see what sort've players you are, so we're gonna have a game at 6:30! I've already called your opponents!"

Daichi blinked, seeming to be taken aback at what Ukai revealed, "eh?! Opponents? Who are they?"

At the questioned, a mischievous smile spread across the older male's face, "the Karasuno neighborhood association team!"  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
Chiaki stood in the middle of the small crowd of adults, her hair a mess from getting it patted and ruffled affectionately.

"Look at you, Ochibi-chan! All grown up and turning into a delinquent! At least the dye job is better than Keishin's!" Takinoue laughs, earning a glare from his friend he insulted.

Shimada helps Chiaki out by slapping Takinoue's hand away as the blond man tries to ruffle her hair again. In response, Chiaki gives him a thankful smile, "it's good to see all of you too. I'm glad you've all seemed to be doing well," the silver-haired female speaks, recognizing all of them. Shimada, Takinoue, and Uchizawa were Minato's senpai in high school. And Chiaki recognized Mori as one of the students Minato taught when he worked as an assistant coach for a couple of years at Karasuno.

"How's Minato doing? He's off in Tokyo, right?" Shimada questioned, pushing his glasses higher onto his nose.

"He's doing well, I had a phone call with him yesterday. He said he's helping my father out with his team when he's not coaching the elementary kids at the local club," Chiaki shared, thinking about her eldest brother.

Takinoue blinked, seeming to be a bit amazed at the information, "look at him going into the city! Helping with your pops, huh? Last time I checked, Adlers have been doing really well these days. Too bad he's not here, if he was, he'd be playing with us."

Chiaki nodded in agreement, suddenly missing the gentle giant she called her eldest brother. Silently, the tall female promised herself to send another text to Minato after practice to say she missed him. 

"Oi, you oldies, are you all ready? The game is gonna start soon!" Ukai called out.

"Who're you calling oldies, ya delinquent! Did you forget we're the same age?" Shimada called out, sending a glare at Ukai, who laughed wholeheartedly.

Finally, getting released to return to work, Chiaki began to collect the water bottles that needed to get filled. She looks up in surprise as she sees a hand holding a water bottle out to her.

"Oh, thank you, Tobi-kun," Chiaki smiles, her grey eyes narrowing a bit in affection as the boy nods. Beside him, Hinata also hands her the bottle. But unlike his companion, the orange ball of energy looked like he wanted to say something.

"Aki-senpai, you sure know a lot of people! You knew those guys from Seijoh, and now you know all the guys Ukai-san brought today!" Hinata exclaimed, his eyes seeming to shine with admiration as he looked at the older female.

Chiaki laughed at his expression, ruffling his hair. She made a hand motion with her hand, gesturing both Kageyama and Hinata to come closer. "Let me give you guys a bit of advice."

Both boys intently listened, seeming interested in what she had to say.

"Connection is key to everything. Treasure those you meet, and it'll get you far. Having a connection with people will bring you miracles when you least expect it and save you when you need it most," Chiaki winked before straightening up to her full height, going back to collecting water bottles.

Hinata and Kageyama stared at the older girl's back. "So cool...."

As the gym began to bustle in preparation for the practice match, Shimizu and Chiaki stepped outside to refill the bottles they collected, idly chatting between them. What neither of them expected when they stepped back in was an addition to the teams.

"Azumane...." Shimizu whispers in surprise, nearly dropping the bag of bottles she held. Luckily, Chiaki caught them before it slipped out of the older girl's finger. The silver-haired female sighed in relief before slinging the bag over her shoulders.

Chiaki barely was able to hold in a smile as Kiyoko's eyes shined behind her spectacles, the older female clenching her hands in front of her. At that moment, Chiaki felt like she understood the older girl a bit more.

There was no denying that Kiyoko's personality was cool and slightly aloof. However, after seeing the look of relief that seemed to spread across the older girl's face, Chiaki knew the third-year manager cared about the club more so than she usually showed.

Chiaki felt her heart beat in her chest in excitement as she sat on the sideline, the slight crackle of tension spreading in the gym's air. She placed her chin on her hand, eyes narrowed as the whistle was blown at the indication of the practice match was beginning. _Now... Show me what kind of Ace Karasuno has...._  
  
  


  
  
  
8 Years Ago (Chiaki age 8)

August, Year 2004

Chiaki pouted, a volleyball underneath her arms as she walked to the nearest park. She was kicked out of the house by her mother after moping around for too long. Minato had gone to a summer retreat in Tokyo with his high school, and both Taiga and Kouga were at the middle school volleyball camp.

That greatly upset Chiaki because now she was left at home with her mother. It wasn't a bad thing; Chiaki did love her mother from the bottom of her heart. But Minako didn't play volleyball. While having vast knowledge of the sport having been a manager in the past, and working with countless volleyball players as a physical therapist, Minako wasn't a player.

Which meant she couldn't play a rally with Chiaki.

This is why Chiaki hated the weekend, and she hated her age. She wanted to go to the same volleyball club the twins went to, which was seven days a week. But the youngest Ibato was still too young, no matter how good she was for her age.

She walked to the local park with dragging feet, the loud cries of the cicadas overlapping and sounding like an obnoxious chorus. Eventually, Chiaki finds a shady area underneath the tree, bumping the worn down volleyball with her forearm.

It was useful to practice. Minato had told her that. Even her father had too when she had last seen him when he returned from Tokyo a week ago to visit the whole family. Her older brother also pointed out that she should work on becoming ' _friends_ ' with the ball more.

Even with a young mind, Chiaki knew what that meant. Sometimes, the young Ibato lost control of the ball, not being able to control it the way she should be able to. She still wasn't "best friends" with her volleyball, maybe close friends, but not to the point of best.

She remembered when she asked Minato how she could become best friends with her ball. And in response, the eldest Ibato son smiled as he effortlessly began bumping the ball with precise accuracy.

Chiaki had watched with awe, her droopy grey eyes widening twice it's size as Minato juggled with the ball. It was almost as if the ball was alive and was a part of Minato, going exactly where the older boy wanted it to.

"If you're able to bump it at least a hundred times continuously, I'll say you've become pretty good friends with the ball. Good luck, Chi-chan, you can do it," Minato had laughed, his large hand patted her head after keeping the ball alive for at least five minutes without it dropping to the floor.

And so the counting and bumping began.

Chiaki felt a bead of sweat run down the back of her neck as she counted under her breath, the humid air of summer making it slightly hard to concentrate.

"Forty-two, forty-three, forty-four, forty-five, forty-six, forty-seven, forty-eight, forty-nine," a small smile began to spread across Chiaki's face as she realized it was going to be her first time finally reaching fifty. "Fift-"

She doesn't reach fifty because a hand slaps the ball out of the air before her forearm could hit it back. It bounces and rolls for a minute before stopping on the sandy, dusty ground.

Chiaki's eyes turn blank as she stares at her ball, the smile getting wiped off her face. She turns her head to look at who was responsible for smacking the ball away. Her eyes narrowed at the boy who stood in front of her with a smug smile.

He seems around her age, a few inches shorter than her with fluffy hair that seemed to curl up to the sky on the ends. He wears a plain shirt and some shorts, bandaids littering his knees that appeared to be scrapped. What catches her attention is the volleyball underneath his arms, it looks relatively new with no specks of dirt unlike hers.

"Heh, I can do better," the boy grins, holding his volleyball in hand in pride as he looks at Chiaki as if he's waiting for her to ask him to show her.

Chiaki only blinks, eyeing him for a few more seconds before silently nodding and walking away, going to pick up the ball that had rolled away from her.

The brunet's mouth pops open in disbelief as if he can't believe she had just walked away from him. He almost seems offended that Chiaki hadn't acknowledged him.

"Look, my volleyball is new too! It's shinier than yours, isn't it?"

Chiaki doesn't even bother looking over, picking up her volleyball in hand and spinning it in her hand just as she had watched her father do it a million times when he was getting sand off of it during beach volleyball.

The boy's eyes widened slightly, looking a bit awed at the movement she did, his eyes shining briefly before he shook his head. He pushes his awe away and frowns, taking a step towards the light brown-haired girl. "Hey, I'm talking to you! Why are you even playing with a worn-down volleyball like that? Mine's newer so we could-"

"I like my volleyball." Chiaki finally speaks, briefly looking at the boy over her shoulders before beginning to bump the ball again, this time counting in her head.

By now, the boy's mouth was unhinged. His cheeks flushed red, feeling embarrassed after being so nonchalantly brushed aside. Nobody did that in his class. When he told the girls in his class about the new volleyball his mother bought him, they all listened to him eagerly, even asking for a demonstration. Never had he been ignored by someone this badly before.

And it hurt his pride.

Before he knew it, he was throwing his volleyball towards the girl. When the ball left his hand, the realization of what he did suddenly hit him, his skin paling as the ball swiftly moved towards Chiaki's head.

What he didn't expect was for the young girl to take a step back, dropping the ball she was bumping to the ground as she crouched down, quickly receiving the ball that was thrown her way.

Chiaki hummed as she bumped the boy's ball a couple of times, her eyebrows furrowing before she caught it between her hands. He was right, it was nice and new, but she liked her own worn down Mikasa ball more.

She turned her head and looked at the boy, a slight bit irritated that she was interrupted by him again. "That was a really weak serve," she offhandedly comments, her eyes slightly cold knowing that boy had thrown it at her.

This makes the boy blush fiercely, flustered, and embarrassed by her insult. "I-I didn't even try to serve it!" He defends, the small feeling of guilt from a moment ago melting away as he glared at the girl. "Give me my ball back! You meanie! I'm a better volleyball player than y-" He doesn't finish his words as he feels something hit the back of his head, the sound of loud buzzing entering his ears.

"E-Eh...?"

"Oi, Toru! Don't move! The cicada landed on your head!" A boy with dark, short hair suddenly appeared with a bellow, running over and swinging his bug net he had in his hand, successfully covering his friend's head with it.

Chiaki took a fearful step back as the boy known as Toru began to scream like a banshee as the cicadas that was stuck in the net along with his head began flying around. The unfortunate bug has nowhere to go, flying around in the net, getting tangled in Toru's brown locks before getting untangled and landing on the screaming boy's face.

Chiaki watches the chaos unfold with her skin turning pale, not being able to help as she imagined herself in the boy's place. Just with the thought, she feels a bit faint, the idea of a bug being anywhere near her face making her sick.

"Ah..." The boy who holds the net mutters as somehow the cicadas escaped the net as Toru begins running around, the bug taking flight. Chiaki watches this in horror, everything seeming like it is moving in slow motion as the cicadas made its way towards her.

The scream is caught in her throat, her knees locking in place and not being able to move away as it comes closer. But before it can land on her, a white net quickly catches it in midair, the bug releases one final cry before the sound of it struggling in the net on the ground enters everyone's ear.

The boy with spiky hair grins widely as he looks down at his prize with glee. "Ah, finally got it."

Chiaki released the breath she realized she was holding, unclenching her hand, her fingers feeling a bit numb from holding it in a fist too tightly. The brown-haired girl is finally able to get a good look at the spiky-haired boy. Like the other boy, he seemed around the same age as her. He had tanned skin from running under the sun for hours, Chiaki being able to see that he had a tank top tan as he crouched down to get a better look at the bug he captured in his net.

Her grey eyes widened a bit in admiration as the boy took the bug into his hand without any hesitation, just like she had seen Minato do when he was showing her and the twins how to capture them without hurting their delicate wings. The boy briefly shifted his eyes and looked at her before holding the bug out for her to see. "This is the prettier type of cicadas. It's called the min min zemi. It's called that because of the way it sounds. Look, it has clear wings, and it looks like glass and looks much cooler than the average abura zemi."

Chiaki takes a wary step closer to see what he showed, her eyes taking a sparkle as a small, "wow," escaped her lips. Like he said, the wings were transparent, having a tint of green to it, looking a bit like stained glasses, just like the picture of the church her mother showed her of her wedding with Hiroto.

While Chiaki was usually deathly afraid of bugs, the newfound information shared to her by the boy, as well as getting a good look at the pretty bug, makes it less scary.

"I'm gonna release it now, if you're scared, you can stand behind me," the boy spoke, and Chiaki did as he said, watching in interest as he released it back into the air, the cicada flying away to a nearby tree.

The two children watched it go for a moment before the boy with spiky hair turned to her with his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"I'm Iwaizumi Hajime, who are you? I come to this park every day with Toru, but I've never seen you around before," the boy comments, scratching the back of his head before collecting his bug net that was left on the ground.

"Ibato Chiaki... I live near here, but I'm always at summer camp, so I don't come to this park often," Chiaki explains, smiling a bit as the boy bends down and picks up her ball, handing it to her. "Thank you..."

"No problem. That's a really cool ball. It looks cooler than Toru's." Hajime comments, his words making the smile on Chiaki's face wider.

At that moment, Chiaki had decided the boy in front of her was someone worth trying to become friends with.

"Do you wanna go over there and play?" Hajime asks, a boyish smile spreading on his face, "it's shadier over there near the playground. And we can-" the boy doesn't finish his sentence as he turns around in surprise as he feels a tug on the back of his tank top.

He turns around and flinches, startled to see the face of crying Toru. Even Chiaki is taken aback as she looks at Toru's face that is a mess with tears and snot. The boy's cheek with fluffy brown hair is pink from crying, the streaks of tear messy on his skin as he hiccups, gripping onto Hajime's tank top with his hand.

"H-Ha-kun, y-you're a b-big meany! W-Why did you cover my head with the net with that bug! And now you're going to go r-run off with her!" Toru sobbed, his words barely even audible as he hiccupped.

Hajime and Chiaki shared an awkward look, seeming to not know what to do with the crying boy. Eventually, Hajime took Toru by the hand to go to the park fountain to go wash the crying boy's face, Chiaki following behind them with two volleyballs in hand.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lmao, the picture below is before the end of summer, Chiaki is attached to Iwaizumi, haha. The next update, Chapter 10 | Teammates will be on November 27th, 2020! Hope you enjoyed this chapter, I haven't been writing for this story in weeks because of school but luckily I have the chapter in stock until at least the end of December. And hopefully, I can restock my chapter during winter break!
> 
> y'all, there are so many cool attractive, and awesome male characters in this story but do you ship anyone with Chiaki????
> 
> Also, anyone know Twisted Wonderland?! So, I also have a Japanese apple ID so it lets me buy stuff from the Japanese app and I downloaded it over a month ago and I'm addicted. like in 40 days, Im at level 63 right now and the amazing part is that I haven't spent a single cent in the game and I can still play. If you don't know the game check it out! Its an official game brought out by Disney about the villains inspired characters going to school. Almost seems like a otome game but at the same time its not. 
> 
> -Ember


	11. Team mates

  
  
  
**Chapter 10**

**Word count:** 6.6 k

🏐🏐 **THIRD PERSON P.O.V.** 🏐🏐

_A young girl blinked as her father crouched down before her, peering into her eyes. The said man was a tall, dark-haired male with sharp brown eyes. However his sharp gaze was loving as he smiled gently as he placed a hand on his daughter's head._

_"Chiaki, remember this. No matter how good an ace you are, you only hold that title because of your teammates. And out of them all, never forget to show appreciation to your libero."_

"To an ace, a libero is the person who has their back in the direst time. The lifeline," Chiaki whispered as she watched as Nishinoya dived, skidding forward as the back of his hand saved the ball.

Ukai briefly looked at the female standing beside him with confusion, barely hearing her. But before he could question the teen on what she had said, the blond adult flinches at the loud voice that echoes through the gym.

"Call out the toss!!! Ace!!!"

Chiaki's eyes followed the players, her grey eyes capturing every movement as if in slow motions. Her attention shifts between the third-year wing spiker and the second-year libero, her tongue pressing into her inner cheek.

Their movements weren't anything out of the ordinary, but it was nearly flawless as if it was as easy as breathing for them. Their muscles had remembered the movement, the time to jump, the time to swing their arms, the time the ball would hit the hand. Looking at their movement, Chiaki could tell they had done this over a hundred times, remembering each other's habits and preferences.

The sound of the ball smacking against Tsukishima and Kageyama's arms was booming, both first-years stumbling back, not being able to recover the ball properly, earning the point to the Karasuno neighborhood association team.

The silver-haired female's eyes were glued onto Nishinoya as the small second-year spoke with Asahi and Sugawara, the three looking a bit bashful with slight smiles on their faces.

"If I was still able to play volleyball as a wing spiker, I would want someone like Noya-kun to have my back," Chiaki comments before she's able to stop herself.

This time, Ukai hears her clearly, the blond-haired man's eyebrows dropped slightly as he glanced at the teen. Chiaki appreciates that the man doesn't say anything to her mindless chatter, only nodding in agreement to her statement before starting a conversation with an overly excited Takeda, explaining the team dynamic to the man with glasses.

Chiaki doesn't listen to the conversation between the two adults, the female getting lost in her head after watching the dynamic between Sugawara, Asahi, and Nishinoya. Looking at them made a slightly painful memory of her middle school teammates surface.

Kitagawa Daiichi was the school Chiaki had chosen to attend after elementary school for two simple reasons. One, all of her brothers had gone there. And two, the girl's volleyball team was strong. Shiratorizawa middle school was also a choice. The said school was indeed a strong school, especially the boys, but the title for the number one middle school female team in Miyagi went to Kitagawa Daiichi Junior High.

In elementary, volleyball clubs weren't that intense; most children getting introduced to the sport for the first time. But middle school was a whole different story, most children knowing if they wanted to seriously play the sport by the time they became seventh graders.

For that reason, most of the players surrounding Chiaki in Kitagawa Daiichi were on the high end of the spectrum. Before entering middle school, Chiaki had been part of many volleyball camps. She has had countless of teammates over the years, played with so many different children her age in more games than she could count using her fingers and toes on both her hand and feet. But becoming one of the starting members in Kitaichi, for the first time, Chiaki had felt like she had found people she could trust no matter what during a game.

Chiaki was fortunate that none of her senpais had problems with her, accepting her talent, only lifting and taking her further as they welcomed her into the team. Middle school was when she had gotten her first close female friend, Kanoka. The said girl was the first person her age taller than Chiaki, who was 5'6 ft by the time she joined seventh grade. Instantaneously, the two girls had clicked, their soft-spoken character and height being a perfect match for each other. Plus, they both were obsessed with volleyball.

And then again, on the courts, both Kanoka and Chiaki dominated the game being aggressive spikers, the opponent team always struggling to figure which girl was going to attack next. And when they had entered eighth grade, with the senpais all graduating and a new batch of seventh-graders entering, that was when Kitaichi became the absolute team. With the Maiko joining, it was like the final piece in the puzzle was found. The ultimate team was made. They were unstoppable, with Chiaki and Kanoka never hesitating to spike and Maiko, the small girl having their back as libero, nothing was holding them back.

It was the best team Chiaki has ever had. She had felt invincible; she had truly felt the happiest when she was standing in courts with her teammates. Countless afternoons were spent staying after to practice with each other. Even with the coaches gone after the school practice, they remained in the gym, figuring each other's quirks and habits to the point it was as if they could read each other's minds. Even without words, the team would be able to communicate with each other. They were that close.

Yet, now, Chiaki didn't keep contact with a single one of them. The silver-haired girl knew that Kanoka had gone to Niiyama. She had heard a few things about her friend and knew that the tall girl was one of the team's starting members. When she had listened to that information, Chiaki was truly happy for Kanoka, relieved that she was doing well.

And there was Maiko the libero with short hair and straight bangs. While Chiaki didn't know if Maiko still had the same haircut as middle school, the silver-haired teen silently hoped so, thinking the haircut matched no one better than Maiko herself.

During their time in middle school, Maiko was attached to both Kanoka and Chiaki, the short girl often following them around, even when there was no practice. Maiko was the loud one out of the bunch, causing mischief and dragging the two along. Kanoka fussed over Maiko, always flustered and worried. And there was a silent Chiaki who watched everything in amusement, only stepping in when she found that Kanoka couldn't control the small libero anymore. They were a group of three that were close as three peas in a pod. Yet, now they were all separate, no words exchanged, and Chiaki was positive that was her fault.

If all was good for the libero, Maiko would have entered high school this year as well. Where? Chiaki had no idea, but knowing the short girl's talent as a libero, Chiaki was positive Maiko would be able to play volleyball anywhere she went.

Watching the boys rekindle their friendship, Chiaki can't help but wonder if that was still possible for her. Kageyama had forgiven her. Iwaizumi had as well.

But boys were different from girls. And Chiaki knew that girls tended to hold grudges longer and forgave less easily than boys.

Chiaki blinked, quickly shaking her head as she brushed the gloomy thoughts that appeared in her head, going back to paying attention to the game in front of her. Her mood lifts up a bit as she watches both Kageyama and Hinata, the corner of her lips tilting up as she is able to tell they were going to do their quick attack.

"Coach, I wouldn't blink if I were you," Chiaki offhandedly comments, her eyes shining with a childish gleam and mirth. She, herself, doesn't blink as Hinata leaps into the air, the ball looking as if it was getting sucked into his hand after Kageyama set it to him. Everyone is frozen as the small teen spikes, not being able to react to stop him.

"Wha-" stunned, Ukai has his mouth half-open, a bead of sweat going down his cheek. The man whipped his head to the teen standing next to him, his mouth opening and closing as he pointed at the two freshmen, looking at them and back at her without proper words leaving his lips.

Chiaki giggled at his reaction, a look of pride spreading across her face, "there were no hand signals or call out, right? Pretty amazing, isn't it?"

Ukai is quick to snap out of his frozen state, recoiling slightly. "OI!!!"

At the man's loud voice, Hinata flinched, looking at Ukai in confusion along with Kageyama, who only blinked.

"Why'd you jump there just now, shrimp?!"

Hinata seemed openly shocked and dejected at being called out for being short, a gloomy air floating around his head for a brief moment before answering the question. "B-Because the toss will come to me wherever I am...?" The ginger mutters, looking a bit jumpy as he faces the taller man.

At his words, the shock in Ukai seemed to double, his eyes moving to the dark-haired setter who appeared to be ignorant of everything, having the audacity to look nonchalant. The older man couldn't understand how Hinata was able to blindly leap into the air. And the ability Kageyama had as a setter was almost unbelievable, Ukai knowing well seeing as he was setter himself.

"What the heck?! Are you guys some weirdos?!" Ukai can't help the words that leave his mouth, the two boys who were called out blinking, looking confused, not understanding why they were called that.

Chiaki chuckled, her eyes trained on Hinata and Kageyama. Hearing her, Ukai turned to Chiaki in confusion before recoiling, a shiver running down his back. "Those two have unpolished gems hidden in them. With proper training and guidance, they will get super far."

It didn't seem like Chiaki noticed as her usually soft droopy silver eyes gleamed like ones of a predator, looking vivacious and almost scary. She doesn't even see as Ukai creates a small between them, the older man swallowing thickly, mentally calling out to his kouhai that was residing in Tokyo. _Minato, your little sister, has grown up scary....._

The game continues, Chiaki humming to herself as she tries to think about how the team would be built if Asahi and Nishinoya joined back in the game. It was the same for Ukai, the man humming as he rubbed at his chin, his eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

"What do you think, Ochibi?" Ukai questioned, not moving his eyes away from the court as he crossed his arms over his chest thoughtfully.

Chiaki knew what he was asking, although his question was very vague. "I'll say we could build a pretty good offensive team with the members we have right now. Asahi-senpai and Tanaka-kun are both powerful attackers. And by adding Hinata in as a decoy, the opponent team will struggle to figure out who will attack. And Tsukishima-kun is a good middle blocker, with Tanaka-kun and Hinata-kun we have a decent wall." The female paused for a moment as she organized her thought, "Noya-kun as libero and Daichi-senpai in defense makes me feel more reassured, but I can't deny that our defense is still weak. There's only so much those two can do by themselves, if we are aiming to be stronger, we need to emphasize training in receives and defense."

Ukai had nothing to add to what Chiaki laid out, nodding and agreeing to everything she said. But he realizes she hadn't mentioned one crucial position.

"What about setters? If you were coaching, what would your main lineup be."

Chiaki can't help but suck on the back of her teeth, cursing how Ukai was observant enough to know she had avoided the question in the first place. But eventually, she sighs, her shoulder slumping a bit. "If it was me, I'll keep Tobi-kun in the lineup. Only Tobi-kun could do the quick attack and use Hinata-kun to his full potential. So if we talked about the main ideal lineup, I would say Daichi-senpai, Asahi-senpai, Tanaka-kun, Noya-kun, Tsukishima-kun, Hinata-kun, and Tobi-kun. I probably won't take off Daichi-senpai, Asahi-senpai, and Tanaka-kun off no matter what and rotate between Noya-kun and Tsukishima-kun depending on the opponent team. And depending on how the game goes and their exhaustion level, I may rotate them around with the others on the team."

Ukai raised an eyebrow at her words, his gaze briefly moving to the court, his eyes landing on a certain male. "What about the silver head? Isn't he a third-year?"

Chiaki sent a stink eye at the man, disliking his mean questions. Simultaneously, she felt like Ukai was testing her, wanting to see how she would approach this situation.

"Suga-senpai... Suga-senpai is good in his own way as well. He has an obvious connection with the others, having been teammates for the last two years. But for the team to be the absolute strongest, Tobi-kun would be the ideal setter. But," Chiaki's grey orbs moved to the third-year she is talking about. "But as good as Tobi-kun is, there are going to be times he'll have to cool his head, and Suga-senpai will step in the game. The playstyle between the two is significantly different, and they have their goods and bads as well. I think by switching them off at times, we can use that as our advantage and throw the opponent team off."

Chiaki gripped her hands tightly into a fist as she eyes the game that was continued. As much as she wanted Sugawara to play as much as he could, seeing as it was his last year in high school, Chiaki had to think about the best combination of players if they were all aiming to the top.

Ukai understood as well, his arms crossed over his chest as he thought about his own experience in high school. Even with his grandfather being the coach, the only time Ukai was able to stand on the courts was in his last year of high school. But even then, he was the standby setter seeing as his kouhai, Minato was a better player. He was exactly like Sugawara.

Chiaki's eyes widened, her body growing tense as she realized the ball was going straight towards a certain orange-haired boy who was not reacting. It seemed the others also noticed as well, Daichi calling out the freshman's name in concern.

"Hinata?!"

Everyone flinched as the ball the ace spiked made its mark straight into HInata's face, the petite male flying backward, his body bounding onto the hardwood floor in one painful crack.

"Idio-"

"Uwahhhhh!"

Without hesitation, in one smooth motion, Chiaki grabbed the medical bag that was placed near her feet, rushing towards the fallen male who was already surrounded by his concerned teammates.

The said boy, who was sprawled on the floor, released a high pitched whine as he pressed his palm to his forehead that was growing red from where the volleyball smacked him.

"Urg... Owwwwwwwwwww..." Tears gathered at the corner of Hinata's eyes as his head throbbed.

Nishinoya who heard him release a grin as he crouched down beside Hinata's body. "Ah. He's alive."

"A-Are you okay?! I'm so sorry! I d-didn't mean to do that!" Asahi stuttered in panic, his hand shaking in front of him, not knowing what to do with them as he crouched next to the fallen boy to see if he's okay.

Tsukishima watched from afar, sending a cold glance at Hinata from where he stood. "From any way you look at it, it's his fault for spacing out like that.

Hinata suddenly flinches as he feels a cold glare coming from his side, the blood draining out of his body as he looks at Kageyama's face as he seethes.

"I-I...!"

"Tobi-kun, freeze. Let me make sure there's no big injuries before you go off on him," Chiaki calmly stepped into the scene, pushing Nishinoya and Asahi back as she kneeled on the ground beside Hinata.

At her words, Kageyama stopped in place, releasing a small tsk as he glared at Hinata, who shook in fear.

"A-Aki-senpai, I swear I'm fine! I'm used to getting hit in the face with a ball so-"

Hinata doesn't get to finish his sentence as Chiaki presses an instant cold pack she popped with her hand onto his red forehead, forcing him to lay back down, placing his head on her lap. Instantaneously, Hinata grew flustered, blowing a fuse from the top of his head as he stuttered inaudible words.

"That'll be something I decide after I examine you as the team medic, Hinata-kun. And I wouldn't say it's a good thing being used to getting hit by a ball," Chiaki gently scolded, running her hand through the soft orange locks of hair. She doesn't care if it's sweaty against her hand, the pad of her fingers gently pressed against the scalp of the back of his head, making sure there's no swelling from falling onto the ground.

Tanaka and Nishinoya glared at the injured boy in jealousy, Ennoshita holding them back with a weak laugh.

When she doesn't find any abnormality, she takes her phone out of her pocket, shining the light into Hinata's eyes, making sure they dilated at the same speed.

"That was a hard hit, but he should be fine. I don't see any signs of a concussion either," Chiaki sighs, finally allowing Hinata to sit up, the said boy flushing beet red.

Those were the only words Kageyama needed to hear to stomp up to Hinata. The said boy flinched, sending a desperate look to Chiaki, knowing she was probably the only person in the gym that could hold the angry setter back. But Chiaki paid no mind, dusting her black Karasuno sweat off as she made her way to her medical bag.

Seeing that his saving grace wasn't indeed his saving grace as he hoped, Hinata shrunk, ready to get a scolding from Kageyama, who looked like he had a dark aura coming out of his body. Unknown to them, Chiaki had an amused smile on her face, already having an idea that what the dark-haired boy was going to say was going to be something Hinata needed to hear.

"Coach, I'm going to the nurse's office to get more cold packs. We're running a bit low, and I have a feeling we're going to need them with the group we have here," Chiaki waves, the said man nodding as the silver-haired girl leaves the gym.

The school grounds are mostly empty, most of the faculty already gone, leaving students with sports clubs lingering around. Chiaki passes by the field to see the girl's soccer team practicing, waving at some girls she recognized as her classmates.

"Teammates, huh?" She mutters wistfully, looking up at the orange sky that was slowly turning to a navy blue. _Maybe.... I can try sending a text....?_  
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
By the time Chiaki had returned to the gym with her hands full of instant cold packs, the game had ended, the players working together to bring the nets down and clean the gym. Practice comes to an end with a short meeting, and Chiaki is walked home by Sugawara and Daichi, both males looking a bit more tired than usual.

But Chiaki can't help but notice how both third-years' eyes shine brighter than they did yesterday, seeming to be in an excellent mood.

And now Chiaki laid on her bed, her stomach full from dinner as she sprawled on top of her covers, her class notes and textbooks spread around her as she studied for the exams that were coming up.

She briefly looks up from the text she highlighted, rubbing at her eyes, deciding she would take a bit of a break. As she spaced out for a brief moment, she looked down at her phone that laid next to her pillow, staring at the device as she thought about her day.

The boys made up today.

Chiaki's eyebrows furrowed together, the space between them wrinkling as she thought long and hard before reaching for it. With hesitancy, she scrolled through her contact list before stopping at a particular name.

Over a year ago, Chiaki had gotten a new phone changing her number during that time. However, she had transferred her contact list, so her name was still there.

Staring at it for a minute, Chiaki squeezed every bit of her courage out and sent a text.   
  
  
  
  
  


**_____________________________**   
  
  


Hey.... This is Chiaki....

_Sent: 9:43 PM_   
  
  


**_____________________________**   
  
  
  
  
  


🏐🏐 **MAY 5th, 2012** 🏐🏐

Chiaki crossed her arms over her chest as she watched as Hinata was thrown back, trying to receive another ball spiked to him by Asahi. The silver-haired female rubbed at her temple as she closed her eyes, shaking her head lightly as Hinata didn't improve as fast as she liked.

"Hinata, it's good you're reacting to the ball, but it doesn't count if it bounces out," Chiaki called out, "the opponent team would receive a point and get to serve for another rally, something we want to avoid.

The orange-haired frowned but nodded, listening to every word she said, mentally noting them down in his head. "I understand, it's just I don't know why it keeps ricocheting off every time," Hinata admits, looking visibly dejected with his shoulder dropped.

Chiaki nodded, walking up to the male as she took his arms into her hand, placing them in the position she wanted. "The angle you place your arms are off. Make sure to input this position into your head, make it your second nature. Muscle memory should help. Even if you twist your arm just a bit, it'll change the rotation and the ball's trajectory so keep that in mind."

Hinata's eyes shined with admiration as he nodded fiercely at Chiaki's words. He hurriedly went back onto the court, asking for another spike from Asahi.

The silver-haired female nodded in approval as the receive Hinata did look better than before, the first-year male immediately turning to her with a bright smile.

"Senpai! I did it! Wow! You're such a good teacher!!" Hinata bounced on his feet with awe, seeming to be asking for praises, Chiaki not being able to help it but pat his fluffy hair.

"Aki-chan!" The said female looks up in question as her name is called, her eyes quickly catching sight of Shimizu, who stood by the gym door, bickering her over.

Quickly waving to Hinata, Chiaki gathered her stuff, jogging to the older female patiently waiting for her.

"Takeda-sensei gave me the keys for the training camp facility so we can go ahead and prepare for all of their dinners before they finish off practice," Shimizu smiled as she held up the keys in her hand.

Chiaki nodded in understanding, the two females walking together to the facility, turning the building's lights on as they made their way to the kitchen. Shimizu and Chiaki had already been planning this for the last week, already finishing off groceries they needed for the upcoming week. The meal plan was actually made by Kouga, who was almost done with his schooling in sports nutrition.

The twins themselves helped with the shopping, using their car to help Chiaki carry all of the ingredients she was going to need this week to feed the hungry team.

Shimizu hummed as she looked through the recipe written by Kouga, "Aki-chan's brother made this? The instructions are straightforward and easy to understand," the raven-haired girl comments, seeming to be impressed as she read them.

Chiaki felt her chest swell in pride as Shimizu complimented her older brother, "I'm glad, he took some time to make sure the boys will get the proper nutrition after a day of training. Out of four of us siblings, Kouga-nii is the best in the kitchen," a small smile spread across Chiaki's face as she talked about her brothers, Shimizu being able to tell how close she was with them.

"You said your eldest lives in Tokyo, didn't you?" Shimizu questioned, deciding to use this time to get to know their team medic.

Chiaki hummed as she began peeling the potatoes, Shimizu blinking in surprise, seeing how naturally the action seemed to be for the female, "Minato-nii-san and my father both reside in Tokyo because of their jobs. They actually work together, my father is one of the head coaches for the Schweiden Adlers, and Minato is his assistant coach. On the side, he's a personal sports trainer, and he coaches volleyball at a local elementary school."

Shimizu blinked in surprise, pausing in washing the bag of carrots. Although her knowledge of volleyball wasn't the vastest, she had heard of the volleyball team name Chiaki mentioned, having seen it in the monthly volleyball magazine often left in the clubroom.

"Are they also going to be on vacation during golden week?" Shimizu questioned, turning the water off and draining the vegetable she had in hand, joining Chiaki on chopping the vegetable and placing them in a large pot.

"Yeah, but they'll only be coming back for a little while. That's why I'm only staying overnight until the day before we have the match with Nekoma. I'll be going home because our whole family will be back in Miyagi," Chiaki explained, her mind going to her eldest brother. Silently she promised to sneak in into Minato's bed the first night he comes back, wanting to spend as much time with her brother who lived away from home.

Shimizu nodded in understanding, the female chuckling as she saw Chiaki's broad smile subconsciously has on her face. "I'm glad you seem happy that they'll be back. I won't be able to be here at night to stay over, but I have mostly everything covered during the day, so don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Chiaki nodded in understanding, the two girls cooking as they continued light mindless chatters and sharing giggles. Shimizu actually shares the team's funny stories from when she was a freshman; Chiaki's eyes widened as the older girl revealed some embarrassing stuff that happened to Daichi and Sugawara.

"Wait until Valentines, I'm sure Suga will dress as a girl and make the new members flustered by giving them chocolates this year as well," the glassed-female giggled, seeming to remember last year.

At the image, Chiaki can't help but release an unflattering snort, "Sugako? My gosh, I can't wait," the silver-haired teen laughed, getting a good laugh out of it, just imaging the absolute chaos her Senpai would cause.

Shimizu paused, staring at the younger girl for a good second, Chiaki returning the stare in confusion, growing a bit flustered. "I-Is there something on my face?" Chiaki eventually questioned, scratching her cheek bashfully, a bit embarrassed under the pretty upperclassmen's gaze.

"Hm, no. I just thought Sugawara looked quite similar to you when he was dressed as a girl and wore a wig," Shimizu comments with a hum, the corner of her eyes crinkling a bit as she laughed.

"Oh, we probably could get away with being siblings. Although my hair is dyed and his natural." Chiaki offhandedly comments, pushing a piece of her hair that came out of her braid behind her ear. She opens her mouth to say more, but both Shimizu and she look at the door as they hear loud voices and conversations.

"Ugh, I'm so hungry, I could eat a whale!"

"It smells so good in here!"

The two girls shared a brief eye contact before swiftly increasing their hand's speed, beginning to plate the foods that were ready. Seconds later, Takeda enters the kitchen, wearing a apron and ready to help the girls out.   
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
Chiaki hummed happily, the slightly damp towel wrapped around her neck as she walked down the dimly lit hallway with her cheeks flushed from the hot shower and bath she took. Her usually braided hair was let down, going down her back, only a tad bit still wet.

Surprisingly, the facility had a big bath and Chiaki enjoyed the private bath with her legs and arms stretched out in front of her. The only thing was that she could hear the chaos that was happening on the boys side. But either way, she got a nice laugh out of it and enjoyed herself.

Her eyes brightened as she passed a vending machine, eyeing the various drinks available with coins in her hand. It doesn't take her long to pick Potari, releasing a sigh of relief as she takes the first sip the cold sports drink. When she turns around, the female perks up as she catches sight of Hinata, the younger boy seeming to look around with an anxious expression.

"Hinata-kun?"

The orange-haired male flinches, whirling around with his brown eyes wide in fear. But when he caught sight of her, Hinata released a sigh of relief, a smile spreading across his face.

"Oh... It's only you, Aki-senpai. You scared me," Hinata gasped, patting down his chest as if he was trying to calm his erratic heartbeat.

Chiaki only cocked her head in confusion at his reaction.

The said male blinks, his head getting cocked to the side in the same way, staring at her with his eyebrows knit as if he was trying to figure something out. However, a look of realization flashed through Hinata's eyes as he smacked his fist into his hand in an ' _ah-ha!_ ' moment. "Oh! Wow, Aki-senpai, I've never seen you with your hair down before! It looks pretty like that too!" Hinata excitedly exclaimed, easily complimenting the older girl in front of him.

Chiaki smiled at him, giving a quick thanks. "Is everything alright, Hinata-kun. You looked a bit scared but did something happen?" Chiaki questioned, her eyebrows knitting together in concern for her underclassmen who looked a bit bashful as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh... Well, it's just that I thought I-"

"Oi, Hinata! It's the freshmen's turn to use the bath," Tanaka, who was freshly cleaned, walks down the hallway, catching the two teens' attention. Immediately the short-haired wing spiker perks up at the sight of Chiaki, bounding over happily.

"Ous! Aki-san, you look beautiful with your hair down!" Tanka fanboys as he greeted the silver-haired female before looking at Hinata questioning, noticing that the orange-haired freshmen seemed to be a bit pale. He, too, becomes concerned for his underclassmen, nudging Hinata with his elbow.

"What's up, Hinata? Something wrong?"

The said boy nervously looked around, sweating lightly. Watching him, Chiaki also became a bit anxious, suddenly realizing the hallway they all stood in was eerily lit, a bit creepy. At that thought, she suddenly remembered the countless horror stories that floated around the school. The blood drained out of her face as she began to feel the speed of her heart accelerate.

"Um, the- there...." Hinata stammered, looking around quickly to make sure there was nothing around him.

"There?" Tanaka cocked his head to the side in confusion, not seeming to be catching on. Chiaki, on the other hand, wanted to run away from there and hide in the room she was given. But it seemed like her knee was locked in place, preventing her from moving.

"There's.... Someone else.... There's someone else in this building," Hinata finally spat out, the small boy looking scared with his brown eyes wide.

Tanaka blinked once before sighing, turning around in a disbelieving way, "hahh? That's not possible. Our group's the only one using this place today."

Immediately, Hinata clutched onto Tanaka's shirt, preventing the older boy from walking away. "B-But I definitely saw them! I swear!"

Tanaka paused, scratching his head as he sent a pitiful look to the boy who shook in his pants, "so, what sort've guy did you see?"

"I-It was a little kid....!"

Chiaki released a silent shriek, her hand shooting out to grip Hinata, pulling the shorter boy towards her with a shaking hand. The silver-haired girl was a few shades paler than usual, her mouth becoming dry in fear as she refused to look down the dark hallway.

Tanaka also froze, now looking a bit scared as Hinata and Chiaki trembled.

"C-Could it be a ghost....?"

"AH! Don't say something like that, Hinata! You must've seen something else, like your own reflection in the window or something" The second-year wing spiker seemed to grow flustered as he looked around anxiously as well, his own fear getting fueled by the energy Chiaki and Hinata released. "Okay! Nothing to worry about! Let's head back to everyone else, and it'll be fine. Everything will be fine!" Tanaka muttered his last sentence twice as if he was telling himself that.

However, Hinata released a loud shriek, which made both second-years with him freeze and flinch. Chiaki even released a small scream, her arms wrapping around Hinata as she ducked her head, squeezing the hell out of the boy who released a sound like a dying frog.

"GYAAAAA! THERE IT IS!"

Nishinoya blinked, looking at his three teammates in question. Tanaka quickly calmed down as he recognized the short libero,

"Huh? What are you guys getting worked up about? You're gonna make Daichi-san angry, you know?" Nishinoya comments as he crosses his arm over his chest with a look of confusion. His hair dropped with water, the towel wrapped around his neck catching it as it fell.

Hinata blinked as well, seeming to calm down as he heard the 'ghost' speak. "Huh? Where have I seen that person before....??"

Chiaki finally opened her eyes she closed subconsciously, her hands shaking as she let Hinata go.

"You idiot," Tanaka growled as he smacked the younger boy's orange head. "That's just Noya, dammit! What the hell was that 'kid' stuff you were yapping about! You guys are practically the same height!!"

A look of shock spread across Hinata's face, "h-huh?! That's Noya-san...? B-But, N-N-NOYA-SAN SHRANK!!!!!!"

Immediately, Tanaka broke into a burst of loud laughter, "hahahahaha!!! T-That's true! Your hair adds to your height!!!" The wing spiker cackled as he pointed his index finger at the shorter second-year who was growing angry.

"RYU! YOU BASTARD!! IT'S NOT FUNNY!" The libero yelled angrily as he stomped up to his teammate. However, before he could punch him, a hand was placed on his shoulder, making him look up in confusion. What greeted the Libero was a looming figure with long hair dripping onto his face, looking like a _ochimusha_ , a fallen samurai warrior who died in war.

"Don't make so much noise... Daichi will be-"

"UWAHHHHHHHH!!!!"

Chiaki's mouth fell open in a silent scream, her knees losing all function as she collapsed to the floor.

"Huh?! Hey! It's me! It's me, Asahi!" Asahi yelled out in concern and shock as the three boys screamed at the top of their lungs at the sight of him.

"Shit! Asahi-san! You scared us!" Nishinoya was the first one to speak, his heart beating against his chest as he released a breath of relief at the sight of their ace.

However, his relief only lasted a few seconds as Daichi ran into the hallways, angrily glaring at them. "YOU GUYS SHUT UP!!"

All four boys flinched at the sight of their angry captain, immediately lowering their head in shame as they prepared for the scolding they were going to receive.

"Are you guys aware what time it is right now? Not only are people trying to rest, you're causing a disruption to the neighborhood! What in the world are you guys do-Aki-chan?" The anger in Daichi's voice seemed to instantly change into worry as he finally caught sight of the girl on the floor.

The other boys also finally seemed to remember that Chiaki was with them as well, turning back to see something that made their eyes widen.

The usually calm team medic was frozen on the floor, seeming to look like her soul had left from her mouth in fear.

"Aki-chan?!" Daichi was quick to move, kneeling in front of the girl in concern as he placed a hand on her shoulder. Feeling his touch and hearing her name get called by Daichi, Chiaki seemed to snap out of whatever trance she was in. But Daichi flinched as tears seemed to gather at the corner of the silver-haired girl's eyes.

"I-I can't stand up," Chiaki stuttered with teary eyes as she raised her arm up, silently demanding for Daichi to help her up after the whole thing made her paralyzed in fear as her knee gave way underneath her.

Daichi sent the boys once last glare before he sighed as he lifted their medic into his arms, supporting her weight from her thighs as the girl wrapped her arms around his shoulders as she sniffled.

The four boys are left in the hallway as Daichi carries Chiaki off with her legs wrapped around him. However, at the same time, they realized they had gotten away without a scolding from Daichi miraculously, thanks to Chiaki.   
  
  
  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
🏐🏐 **EXTRA** 🏐🏐

"Oh, you poor thing," Sugawara cooed as Chiaki hugged his waist as she buried her face into the older boy's stomach. Daichi watched on the side with a sigh, seeming to know that Sugawara enjoyed this more than he should have. "Who would have thought our Chiaki-chan would be scared of ghost and horror stories," the silver-haired male laughed, his eyes gleaming mischievously.

Chiaki sniffled as she sent a weak glare at the older boy, "scary things will be scary no matter what. You can't change it," the female pouts a bit childishly.

This makes Sugawara coo, the male hugging the girl close. "Aww, is that so, how cute~! Does that mean you'll sleep with us tonight?"

Daichi's head snapped up as soon as he heard the word leave Sugawara's mouth, sending his friend a warning glare. The captain can feel the blood draining out of his face as he remembered the text he had received from Taiga earlier that morning.

"A-Absolutely not! Aki-chan will sleep in the room Takeda-sensei assigned her in!"

"Eh, booooo! You're no fun, Daichi!" Sugawara whined, pouting at his friend, who continued to shake his head.

Daichi opened his mouth to argue, but he was caught off by blaring music, Chiaki lifting her head up at the familiar tune of her phone. "Hello?" She picks up without even bothering to check who it was that was calling her. "Oh, Tai-nii."

Daichi's face paled as his adam's apple bobbed nervously.

"Eh...? Um, yeah, Daichi-san is here with me right now. You want me to give him my phone? Why? Okay?" Chiaki spoke to her brother in confusion before handing it off to Daichi, who was stiff as a board.

He nervously coughed once, feeling the palm of his hand sweat, "h-hello?"

"Ah, Daichi-kun, good afternoon," Taiga calmly spoke as he sat in his own room, laying comfortably on his bed as he greeted the Karasuno captain.

Daichi swallowed, "good afternoon, Taiga-san. What can I do for you?" Daichi can feel a bead of sweat go down his back, feeling like he was in front of a snake ready to strike at any moment.

"Hm, I just wanted to check up on Chi-chan before I go to sleep. I'm sure you're taking good care of our lovely baby sister. And I hope you were able to accommodate what I asked for as well," Taiga spoke softly as he pushed the glasses he wore higher onto his nose.

While Daichi knew Taiga was not in front of him to see him nod, he did so anyway, "Y-Yes! Aki-chan has her own room separate from us, and it locks as well! So there's n-nothing to worry about." Daichi felt his hands tremble as he heard a chuckle come from Taiga.

"Good, I just wanted to make sure. Alright, Daichi-kun, I trust that you'll handle everything. And if not, you know what'll happen, right? Anyhow, take care and good night."

It takes a second for Daichi to pull the phone away from his ear even after the call ended. But when it does, he stiffly turns to Chiaki, who eyes him in confusion.

"No matter what, Aki-chan. You're sleeping in your room. And if you don't, there'll be something scarier than a ghost that comes after you."

Chiaki paled as she nodded her head quickly, Sugawara snickering in the background.   
  
  


  
  
  
🏐🏐 **EXTRA EXTRA** 🏐🏐

Chiaki groggily lifted her head up as she felt her phone vibrate. Blindly she moved her hand around before she felt the familiar coolness of her smartphone, wincing as the bright screen of it almost made her blind in the pitch-black room.

It only takes a second for the drowsiness to fly away as she reads what's on her phone screen.

**_________________________________**

**Kanoka:**

Hi, Aki-chan....

_Received: 2:06 AM_

**_________________________________**   
  


🏐🏐 **Terms** 🏐🏐

ochimusha- a Japanese samurai who lost in war in became a ghost. Can be imagined as wearing bloody armor with arrows sticking out of his body with brutal wounds.

Ochimusha appear as spirits of the fallen warriors, mostly with iconic messy dissolved chonmage hairstyle (丁髷; shaved head) which represents of losing their social status.  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in grind period where I have one weeks of school left so finals are coming up and stress is spiking! Hopefully when I enter the holidays, I can write more chapters to stock up and even update Searching for Brothers my one piece fanfic.
> 
> Honestly, I was planning on writing yesterday because I wasn't doing anything but I ended up just watching all the available episodes of Jujutsu Kaisen with my family, rip, although the anime/manga is super good and I'm a big fan!
> 
> Chapter 11 | Golden Week Training is coming out on 12/11/2020! So keep your eyes open!!
> 
> -Ember


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